Walking in the Shadows
by Screaming Purple Duck
Summary: Katara's family was killed by Itachi. She's been forced to live with Kakashi sicne. Now she and her dog Harp have to get answers and go off to find Itachi...  -Don't own Naruto, ok? Good!   -
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue:**

I sighed and pushed myself off of the bed. My hair was flying in random directions, my face white as a sheet, and my pride taking a beating. It'd been a long time since I'd looked like this. I bit my lip and swung my feet over the side of the bed and padded to my bathroom in my pajamas.

With last night still fresh in my mind, I climbed into the shower and set the spray to where it would melt flesh off. Today, I could stand it. My breath hissed out in surprise between clenched teeth as the water hit my body. I was pale, bruised, and pissed off. I quickly finished in the shower, a quick lather, quick rinse, and then completed it with my hair. After wrapping a towel around me, I started back toward my room.

I was mumbling to myself about big, stupid men and their big, stupid attitudes when the door to my parent's room burst open. My breath hitched in my throat as a muscley man appeared in the doorway. Harp, the small, wiry mutt that we had gotten a year before streaked through the open doorway, between the man's legs, and hid behind me. The poor little thing was covered in blood.

The man hid behind the mask that was so cleverly worn by the ANBU. Of course. A rogue one had just entered my house, killed my parents, and was now standing there, waiting to kill me, too. That would be just my luck. And poor little Harp… The little thing would be all by her lonesome with a big, bad, murderer.

I glared at the man. If he was going to kill me, he'd very well kill me when I was dressed. With a sigh, I grabbed Harp by the scruff of the neck and pulled her toward my room. Realizing where we were headed, she tore herself from my grip and plunged into the safety of my room.

_Safety my ass_, I thought to myself as I walked into the room.

The man followed at a safe distance. There was something familiar in the way he walked. I pushed that thought out of my head. Nobody I knew would sneak into my house and kill my family. I pushed Harp into the bathroom, shutting the door before she could streak out through the open door. She scratched and whined at the door.

"You," I said through clenched teeth as I pointed at the man. "You are going to stay in here while I get dressed, do you understand me?" A nod. "Good. Because if you kill me while I'm naked, I will come back and haunt you."

The man shook his head as I scurried around my room in search of clothing. I chose some skin-tight black jeans, a black tank-top, a black lacy bra, and a black thong. I almost laughed at it all. As I opened the door, Harp jumped at my legs, smearing them with blood as she smeared saliva all over my upper thighs.

"Down, Killer," I said on a giggle as I walked into the bathroom.

I turned around, glared at the man who was too busy looking around to notice. The door slammed. Followed by the locking mechanism. I started the shower once again, making it seem like I was washing the blood off of my legs while I was actually washing the blood off of Harp. When she was clean, I quickly washed and dried off my legs and began to dress.

With the water still running, I quickly and quietly opened the window. When a footstep was heard, I stopped, Harp cocked her head and watched me. The footsteps retreated back toward my bed in the opposite corner of the room. I opened the window the rest of the way, thankful that it didn't creak as it usually did. Harp came at my hand motion. After picking the mutt up, I crept through the window.

I pressed a finger to my mouth while looking at Harp. The dog had been taught the universal sign of "Ssh." I crept along the house, avoiding the windows, and managed to get to the wooded area that sat at the back of our property without being seen or heard. With a silent laugh, I crept into the woods. Looking back, I saw the man look at me from my bedroom window. I froze. He lifted the mask. The breath caught in the back of my throat. Itachi?

He gave me a small, tight smile and lifted a hand in a sad greeting.

My heart turned to stone in my chest.

My world managed to crumble into a billion tiny little pieces.

**Part 1: Three Years Later**

Harp yawned as I stretched on the bed. The mutt grumbled low in her throat and nudged against my arm, which was laying in her way. I pushed against her, knowing already that I couldn't move the 150 pound plus mass that was lying at my side. Harp lifted her head and barked, the sound high pitched and growly at the same time.

"Katara!" I heard Kakashi yell from the other room. "Shut her up!"

I glared at Harp. The dog looked at me and smiled, showing all of her teeth. I muttered a curse under my breath as I got up from the spare bedroom. Harp jumped off the bed and skidded on the floor, thumping into the wall. I heart Kakashi yell from the other room about annoying beasts who should be put outside and laughed.

"Oh, Harp," I said as I quickly walked across the hallway into the bath. "You are so lucky he loves you. Otherwise I'm sure that he'd follow through those idle threats he throws at you."

Harp smiled again and wagged her tail so hard her whole body shook. With a sigh, I slammed and locked the door. The water was turned to full blast on hot enough to melt your skin off. A moan of pleasure escaped my lips as I stepped into the water and let the spray wash over my body.

"Katara!" Kakashi whined as he pounded on the door. "I have to use the bathroom! Come on! Unlock the door!"

I opened the shower curtain and looked down at Harp. "What do you think, Harp? Should we let him in?"

The dog grumbled low in her throat and barked at the door. I had an answer.

"Sorry, Kakashi!" I yelled from the shower. "But I can't do that right now. Use the other bathroom!"

"There is no other bathroom!"

"Go somewhere else, then."

Harp howled at the door. Kakashi cursed and banged on the door once again. I sighed and stepped out of the shower. I wrapped myself in a towel and walked to the door. Wrenching it open, I stood in front of a very sleepy-looking Kakashi and glared at him.

"My God, do you ever stop?" I yelled as I walked back to the shower. I stepped back in, towel and all. After the curtain went back into place, I threw the towel over the top of the shower and continued bathing myself. "Couldn't you wait until I got out of the shower?"

Kakashi was already at the toilet relieving himself. "Uh… Not really…"

"Of course not. You never can. Why can't you just sleep for another twenty to sixty minutes?"

"Hmm… That would be the little furry thing that lies in the corner of my bathroom as we speak."

I launched a shampoo bottle at him.

"Bad aim. We really should work on that."

"Yeah, tomorrow."

"That's what you said yesterday, Katara."

"And?"

He sighed.

"Kakashi, I'm done in the shower. I kinda need you to leave now so I can get out."

"I'm goin'. Don't forget, Harp can't stay in the house alone anymore."

"Jeez, man. She eats one pair of underwear, socks, and mauls your couch to death, and you decide she can't stay in the house alone anymore. You're so mean."

"You say to the man who took both of you in when everybody else wouldn't."

I bit my lip against the tears. The rejection still stung as if it was yesterday. With a sickening laugh, I shook my head. What was I saying? Every single day was like I was living the day after I saw who killed my parents. I still didn't know why. I needed to find Itachi for that. My fingers curled into my palms, biting little half-moons into them as I fought to keep my breathing even and not scream.

_I had loved him._

_He killed them._

_I still love him._

"Katara?" Kakashi asked, obviously uneasy during this quiet moment.

"I'm fine. Leave so I can get dressed."

Kakashi sighed and left the bathroom, the door closing with a soft click. I thrust the shower curtain open, escaping into the room. Harp watched wearily from her corner of the bathroom, whining at my pacing. Water was dripping off my limbs as I wrapped a dry towel around myself. As the water seeped into the cloth, I realized water was still dripping down my face. I reached up, touched the water droplets. With a curse, I noted that they were tears.

Itachi could still make me cry. Three years later, and I still cried over him. My best friend. My first crush. The one man I had thought I had loved. With a sigh, I wiped angrily at the tears and tried shoved my way through the door that had decided it didn't want to open. I beat at the wood, sobs wracking my entire frame. God, my poor heart was breaking once again…

The door gave way. Kakashi caught my limp body as I fell forward. He held me as I cried, told me everything was going to be alright. I almost laughed at him. How did he know what I was going through? As far as I knew, he hadn't known what love was like. He was still pure.

"Katara," Kakashi whispered as he kissed my temple softly. "Katara, what's wrong? What's going on?"

"Oh, God," I muttered as I tried to pull away from him. My mind wanted to, but my body stayed almost glued against his. "Kakashi… Oh, God…"

"Katara, just tell me, okay? I'll listen. I promise."

"I… Oh, God, Kakashi… I think… I think I still love him!"

Kakashi grew still against me, even though his hands were still stroking up and down my arms. I bit my lip, ready to be rejected once again. Then his body went lax again, as if my confession hadn't just escaped these treacherous lips. He kissed my temple again, hands stroking my hair.

"It'll be okay, Katara. We can get you over him. I know it."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

I smiled my first real smile in years as I pressed against him. His body was so large, warm, I was somewhat afraid. The only men I had known hadn't been as accepting as Kakashi had been all these years. He even dealt with Harp, who most would have forced me to get rid of. But Kakashi… Kakashi was different.

Kakashi grabbed my upper arms firmly and pushed me away so he could look into my eyes. He smiled, looking somewhat haunted. And at that precise moment, I knew something bad was going on, going to happen. Something quite horrible. And it was going to be all my fault. I couldn't endanger him. I had to leave.

"Katara?" Kakashi asked as his eyes searched my face. "What is wrong, Katara? What's going on in that twisted psyche of yours?"

I gave him another award winning smile, even though it was hollow and I felt gutted inside. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"Katara… Don't lie to me…"

"I'm not, Kakashi. I'm telling the truth. The absolute truth." I stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get dressed and brush my hair before it dries the wrong way and it's impossible for me to work with."

Kakashi nodded, letting go of my arms. His fingertips slid down the pale limbs as I stood up, careful not to flash anything. He smirked as my breath hitched a little. I rolled my eyes and walked back into the spare bedroom, not bothering to see if Harp was at my heels. As I reached my door, I heard Kakashi lovingly whisper to my dog. Harp grumbled in agreement and ran after me.

"Harp!" Kakashi called, causing the large yellow mass of wiry fur to come to a stop, spin around, bark at him in annoyance. Or at least I thought it was annoyance. "Remember our pact, okay?"

Harp grumbled in response and streaked into our bedroom.

I looked back at Kakashi and my eyes watered once again.

_Oh, Kakashi, _I thought as I blinked back the tears. _I'm going to miss you._


	2. Chapter 2

**Part Two: Two Weeks Later**

I grinned at Harp, who was grumbling unhappily at the birds that sang. She glared at me as I had a spring in my step. I was finally leaving Kohona, all of those horrible people who judged me because of Akira, my forever companion. I looked around, smiling at the small animals that scurried across my path, looking at Harp with fear and wonder in their small woodland eyes.

I sighed as I watched the children of a family play in their yard, blissfully unaware of what the world could take away from them in one single second. I smiled sadly and waved to them when they saw me passing by. Their little eyes grew wide as they saw Harp standing by my side. Harp grumbled, obviously unhappy with small children anywhere near her.

My toe caught a rock as I stepped, causing me to stumble forward. As the ground reached up to swallow me, I imagined just for a second that it was going to swallow me, send me deep into its depths so I could never return. I winced and slammed my eyes closed, hands reflexively flying out to catch my fall.

I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist. They pulled me to safety in the nick of time. I took a deep breath, grinning down at Harp who's hair was standing on end, the large animal growling deeply in the back of her throat. My smile faded as I turned around, saw the black cloak. The red clouds. I ground my teeth together and looked over towards the house. The kids were inside. They were safe. For now.

The man had a hat pulled down low over his brow. I couldn't see his eyes, and I was somewhat disappointed. The collar of the cloak was pulled up as far as it could go. I took a step back, toward Harp, putting the dog behind me. Oddly enough, I had a case of déjà vu, thinking back to that day so many years ago when my world had come crashing down.

Then I had one of the worst feelings ever in the pit of my stomach. Something inside me stretched, rolled, slid among my innards, making my stomach revolt once again. I swallowed uneasily, trying to get a grip on Akira. She wasn't having any of it. She came alive, roaring, bloodthirsty.

I stumbled back, tripping over Harp, who whined as she walked towards me. I scrambled back on my hands, shaking my head. Harp stopped, whining, her head dropping low as her tail tucked between her legs. I threw my head back, screamed, my skin being pushed at from the inside. Akira was trying to get out.

"No!" I yelled, scrambling back from the man in the road. From Harp, my baby girl. "No!"

Akira laughed, the sound ripping through my body like shards of glass. I groaned helplessly, riding the waves of pain, straining to come out on top. Skin began to rip, feathers sliding against the ripped flesh. My back arched, my breath hitching as I began to fight Akira even more. With everything I had left in me.

'_Child,' _the smooth voice whispered through my mind, '_what is this? Why must you fight me? I only want what is mine.'_

_ Innocent blood isn't yours!_ I screamed back at her, clawing at my arms, using pain to balance out the conflicting emotions inside me.

'_Child, you should know better by now that I don't like being spoken to in such a manner. That kind of treatment carries a punishment.'_

I screamed as something whipped through my body. Shredding. Something was shredding my insides. My stomach was clashed at, showing four neat little claw marks on the white skin. I threw my head back on a sob that turned into a haunting little laugh. Akira wasn't winning this time.

_Akira, _I yelled in my mind, _I've grown. You can't take me anymore._

_ 'Oh, child, I have noticed. I haven't been completely dormant these last few years. I have sensed you gaining more power. More and more every day.'_

_ Exactly! So why must you fight me?_

_ 'Quite simply, child, I'm bored.'_

I smirked and shook my head. Of course. I was the only person put on this Godforsaken piece of land we called a home who was saddled with a demon who couldn't keep herself entertained. Not that Akira was all bad. She did have her moments. Those very, very few moments.

'_Ah, I knew you appreciated me, child. I knew somewhere deep, deep, deep down inside you… You love me.'_

_ I wouldn't call it love, Akira._

Akira sighed, the sound soothing all the wounds she had given me. Except for the wings. Those evil little things only went in when I concentrated on them. If they weren't mine, I would have actually considered them beautiful. But alas, they were saddled with me. Thanks to Akira.

"Harp?" I croaked out, landing on my knees, head falling down onto my chest. "Harp!"

I felt the ground shift before I felt the wet stroke of her tongue across my cheek. I threw my arm across her neck and just hugged. Harp sat there, stoic, knowing this was one of my rare moments of weakness. The large dog whined and leaned against me, grumbling about something that was going on inside of her pretty little head.

'_Pretty? That thing is hardly pretty!'_

_ Akira… Please. Shut up._

_ 'Well… Since you asked nicely…'_

I sighed and shifted away from Harp, who licked my face once more and laid beside me. She then started growling low in her throat, the hair on the back of her neck standing on edge. I looked up at the man who was still standing in the middle of the road. The hat was gone now. And looking at me was the one and only Itachi Uchiha.

"This is just great. This day is going just peachy!" I yelled angrily as I got to my feet, still unsteady. Harp lodged herself beside my legs, allowing me to lean on her a bit as we began to slowly walk forward. "What more could happen today? I mean, honestly?"

I mentally smacked myself in the forehead as I saw Itachi begin to slowly walk towards us. Akira had picked a perfect time to try to show her dominance. Just peachy. I attempted to put on a smile, but it turned out as a grimace of pain as I shifted, the wound on my stomach still there. I lifted the shirt, studied the wounds. Just like Akira.

_'Thank you, child. I've always wanted to leave you a present.'_

A sigh escaped my lips as I pressed my hand against the bleeding flesh. By the feels of things, it would heal just fine if the bleeding would stop. I nearly growled as I stripped off my shirt, thankful that I at least had a bra on today. The shirt was tied very neatly and tightly around my waist. With a sniff, I accepted the fact that I would be burnt by the time I began to feel like my normal self.

"Can I help?" Itachi asked from a few feet in front of me.

My heart froze in my chest. His voice… That voice could still melt my insides, turn me into mush. My pulse skyrocketed and I nearly groaned. This wasn't the type of reaction I had needed. Anger. Where was the anger? The hurt? They were there, just below the surface. I went to dig for them, but was met by a solid wall.

'_Sorry, child. I can't let you do that quite yet. It's not as amusing if you do.'_

"Fucking demon," I muttered to myself as I went to stand in front of Itachi.

"Well? Can I?" he asked, his tone somewhat annoyed.

"Yeah," I said as I pushed past him, my shoulder meeting his purposefully and throwing him off guard. I stopped and turned to face him. "You can leave me the fuck alone."

I saw him wince. His eyes showing a trace of regret. Then I laughed at myself. This was Itachi I was thinking about. The man who had killed his entire family, my family, tortured his brother to the brink of insanity. Did he even know what regret was? Harp grumbled low in her throat and grabbed at the bottoms of my pants and tugged. I sighed and followed.

~Narrator's P.O.V.~

The hurt was still there. His heart could still be ripped out. He repressed a sigh as he watched her back slowly disappear down the road with that ugly yellow mutt she loved so dearly. Meeting her had been complete accident. He had figured she was still in Kohona. With that rat bastard, Kakashi.

_Calm down, Itachi, _he told myself as he bent and picked up a piece of the shirt that had been ripped apart when she had been fighting that damn demon of hers. _You left her, remember? High and dry. You can't blame her for going to Kakashi. It's been three years, after all._

He sighed and shook my head. Jealously. It had hit horribly when he had heard that Kakashi had taken her in three years ago. Along with rage. That quiet, simmering kind that slowly boiled over until you took it out on a kill. Slowly torturing them, cutting them up into thousands of little pieces, bit by bit. Killing them so very slowly.

The first time he had done that, it had revolted him. Three years ago he had broken the heart of the only true friend he had ever had. _Katara_. The name still rolled through his mind, still hurt the stone cold heart he worked so hard to keep. Oh, yes, the hurt was still there.

_How would she react, _he mused as he began to follow her at a leisurely pace, _if she knew the true reason her parents had been killed? That it was either her or them?_

He shook his head. He wouldn't be able to convince her. Even though her parents had been horrible people, she still held them in her highest regards. It had confused him so many times in the past. She would come to the grassy hill with new bruises, busted lips, tears. No matter how many times they took their anger and frustration out on her, she had felt that nobody could take a candle to her parents.

It didn't sicken him that he had enjoyed killing her parents. Enjoyed making her father pay for every mark he had given his daughter. Enjoyed making her mother regret every drunken word that she had taken out on her daughter. Their own flesh and blood. Oh, no. It didn't bother him in the slightest. They had gotten what was coming for them.

But Katara… She would hate him for the rest of her natural life. He was sure of it. Absolutely, positively sure of it.

Oh, the hurt was still there. And it still stung like it did when he had walked away from her three years ago when she had told him she had loved him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part Three: Small Detour.**

~Katara's P.O.V.~

I sniffled for the fifth time in the past ten minutes. Tears still clung to my lashes as they slowly flowed down my cheeks and onto the ground. Harp whined and licked my hand, offering comfort. I smiled down at the dog, blew her a kiss, and kept on walking. My heart was breaking into a billion of tiny little pieces once again as I walked further away from Kakashi, my home, my friends. Itachi, my friend, my love, my past.

"That's right, Harp!" I said upbeat. "He's my past. P-A-S-T. And there's no purpose of dwelling on the past. I'll go to him when I'm good and ready to. Because I want those answers!"

Harp grumbled and groaned in response. I began to laugh. I was having a conversation with my dog. I had just run into the person who had killed my parents. I was running away from Kakashi because I was scared of what would happen to him if I stayed. I had just gotten into a fight with my demon and had barely won. My life was officially going downhill.

Harp and I continued to walk along the road, not knowing where we were going. We came upon a quaint little down with sunny shops and friendly people who smiled and waved and commented on Harp's sheer size. I smiled. I liked this little town. It wouldn't hurt to stay a few days, would it?

_'Who are you asking, child?'_

_ Myself._

_ 'I figured. Perhaps it was just wistful thinking that you would need some help with a problem.'_

_ As always, Akira._

The demon laughed inside my head. The sound once again soothed at the wounds, washed over the wound on my stomach that had yet to heal. I nearly moaned in ecstasy. Akira laughed once again, this time in just amusement at how much I needed her at times. Without her with me, I'd be dead a thousand times over again.

_'Child, you've healed enough to fight on your own. But you should get some more clothes.'_

_ I know, Akira._

_ 'Don't take that tone with me, child.'_

_ Sorry, Akira._

I continued to walk down the street, looking at all the colorful shops. This town was just adorable. A group of elderly men sat together on the porch of the general store. A woman and her little girl were doing laundry outside when they saw me. The little girl tugged at her mother's pants leg and pointed towards me. My head dropped down in shame as I squared my shoulders and continued walking.

I got to their gate, expecting them to yell. Throw something at me. Tell me to get away from their property, at least. But I heard the gate open. I looked up, surprised to see the mother was standing in front of me. She smiled, the gesture opened up flood gates and I almost began to cry again.

"I'm sorry," the woman began as she nervously wrung her hands in front of her. "It's none of my business, but I don't think I could live with myself if I let you walk out of here with no shirt. It gets bad at night. I wouldn't want anything to snag your delicate skin. Nor would I want you to burn."

I was speechless. Harp sat down with a grumble and looked at me. I blinked, still surprised the woman was speaking to me when the little girl came out from behind her mother. The girl had pigtails piled high upon her head, a missing front tooth and apple cheeks. She was beautiful. Innocent.

"I-I'm sorry. I have offended you…"

"Wha? Oh! No, you haven't!" I covered quickly, not wanting to scare them away. "It's just I'm not used to nice gestures like that. I was surprised, that's all."

The woman smiled. The small gesture touched the depths of my soul. She placed a hand over my arm and lead me towards their house. A man stepped out, muscley and lean, with sharp features and beautiful blue eyes. He scooped the small girl up from the ground, smothered her in kisses, and kissed the woman. I was guessing they were a happy little family.

I felt like an outsider.

The woman pulled away and smiled at her husband. She grabbed his hand and lead him down the lane towards me. I tried not to flinch as he looked at me, suspicion in his eyes. But when he saw the blood, the shirt that was tied around my waist, the haunting look in my eyes, he softened. He nodded and smiled at me.

"I hope we haven't scared you," he said as he held out a hand. "We don't get too many visitors up here. I'm Juro."

"I-I'm Katara, sir," I said as I nervously reached out and tentatively touched his hand with mine.

"Why, you're such a timid little thing!" Juro laughed as he crashed me into a hug. "Don't worry, Katara. We're not gonna eat you. I promise."

I smiled for the first time. "I highly doubted that, sir."

Juro made a face. "Please, just Juro. Sir makes me feel old."

His wife came forward and grabbed my hand in hers. "Come on, dear. Come with Auntie Anko for a minute and we'll get you fixed up."

I smiled sweetly at them at all. They had just met me, and they were willing to help me. My smile saddened, dimmed, as I thought about my parents. Would I have been different if I had had parents like this? Ones who loved to talk to random strangers and who were willing to help out with no strings attached? I surely would have turned out different.

Anko lead me into their little house. It wasn't large, but not small. She set me down in a chair near a kitchen table and left the room. I was left with the little apple cheeked girl. She smiled at me and hopped into my lap. _So trusting_, I thought as I bounced her on my knee and listened to her tell me about how she lost her tooth.

"I remember when I lost that tooth," I said very seriously. "I had whined for weeks that my tooth was loose. And my dad, he finally told me, 'Girl, I'm sick of your complaining. Go tear that thing out or I will.' I was so scared he'd actually pull it out!" I paused for what seemed dramatic effect when in reality, I was thinking that he actually would have if it had meant causing me pain. "So I went into my room and tugged and twisted until it finally came out. I got a whole bunch of money from the Tooth Fairy."

Anko had come in where I paused. Her eyes held so much sorrow, as if she had caught on to what I was thinking myself. I quickly looked away, not wanting to meet her gaze. The little girl was still chattering away, and I smiled at her. She was a delight to talk to. But finally, she asked the question I was dreading. "What are you doing here, Kat?"

I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "Well, honey… My parents died a few years ago. And nobody would take me in because I have this friend who goes everywhere with me. I can't get rid of her. And everybody was afraid of her and didn't want me in their house. So I finally had a friend of my grandfather's take me in. Kakashi Hatake. He and I had been arguing lately, so I decided it would be better if I left for awhile so we could cool off."

The little girl nodded gravely, as if she understood. I smiled at her. Pulled on one of her pig tails. Anko shooed her off my lap and slowly untied the shirt that had been tied in haste around my waist. She tucked her tongue into the side of her mouth and clucked her disapproval at the wound.

She looked up at me, smiled sweetly. "I'm guessing these are from your friend?"

I swallowed nervously. Looked away. Nodded.

"Well, you may want to take a deep breath. This may sting a little bit. But I have to clean the wounds so that they don't get infected."

I looked at her in awe. Nodded. Bit my lip until it bled as she poured antiseptic over the wounds to clean them. She patted my hand, looked up to see Juro come in with a shirt gripped tightly in his hands. The poor guy looked beat. As if someone had just taken the life out of him.

Anko kissed his cheek as she left the room. The little girl followed her mother.

Juro cleared his throat. "This uh… This was my daughter's. No, not Eiko. My daughter Hana. She passed away a few years before Eiko was born. An accident. Wrong place, wrong time sort of thing. But it was hard. We can't get rid of her stuff here, so we keep it boxed up in the attic. But Anko thinks you two look to be the same size, so I brought you a change of clothes. Actually, about three day's worth. I figure you want to get back on the road."

I nodded, not knowing what to say.

"Katara… I want you to know that you are always welcome here. No strings attached. If you need a place to stay, just come right back here. We would love to hear from you every now and then. Even if you do have that friend of yours."

"Juro… I don't know what to say…"

"Just remember what I said, okay? I know that Eiko loves you already. She takes to people well like that. But me and Anko? We like you well enough to come back."

"I… I can't impose…"

"Katana, I know you went through something awful when you were younger. It's still with you. But we don't expect anything from you than what you expect from yourself. And we do care, even though we just met. Do you understand?"

I nodded.

Juro smiled, happy with the answer. "Good. Now you can go get dressed and head out if you want. It's your choice."

I almost said I wouldn't. Almost said I'd stay here as long as they wanted me to. Almost. Then I remembered Itachi. And how he would be through this way eventually. I couldn't subject them to that kind of thing. I smiled to myself, a family wanted me and I couldn't be a part of it. For the long run, anyways. For now, I could be a part of this family. I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him for all I was worth.

"It really isn't, Juro. I have to protect you guys. So I have to go. But I'll be back. You can almost count on it. And if I don't… Kakashi Hatake. Konoha. He'll know what to do."

Juro nodded as he watched me walk into the bathroom. When I was inside, I quickly changed into the cloths, a pair of white shorts that hit me mid-thigh and a blue tank top. I pulled my hair back and secured it with a piece of leather that Eiko had given me as a parting gift. I smiled as I felt the engraving on the back of it. _Best friends._

When I was dressed, I sighed and walked out the door. The three of them sat at the table, smiling at me, somewhat sad. I hugged each and every one of them hard to me as I tried to blink back the tears. We had known each other for a very short amount of time, but this was as close to a family as I ever had. If I died today, I could die knowing that.

I walked out of the door. Harp ran to me, jumping up and trying to lick at my face. I shook my head and walked down the steps, down the lane, and back onto the road. Harp and I trotted down the road for a bit to see if I had regained my strength from my fight with Akira. I had. We began to walk again. And I got an itchy feeling. Like I was being watched.

"Come out, Itachi," I said, forcing boredom and annoyance into my tone. "I don't feel like playing this game."

"You never did, if I do recall," Itachi said as he walked into the road with me and Harp. "You never could play it right."


	4. Chapter 4

**Part Four: Heartless.**

I curled my fingers into my palms, relishing at the feeling of the nails cutting those little half-moons into the skin. A little pain might actually help in this situation. Of course, it could be easier if he wasn't standing before me, dressed to kill with that beautiful face that hadn't changed in three years. I sighed, forced myself to relax, and took a deep breath.

Then I decided this all had been a mistake. Telling him to come out. Leaving the house. I reached back to make sure that the leather piece was still tied, my hair was still back. Then I looked at Itachi. His eyes were wide, uncaring. Then I laughed a little to myself. He hadn't changed at all in these years.

"Well?" I asked, still fighting to keep the annoyance in my voice. I didn't want him to know my heartbeat was going faster than the wings on a hummingbird. Or how my throat was so dry due to my nerves. I didn't want him knowing any of these things.

"Katara…" Itachi began, stepping forward, then changing his mind as he began pacing. "Katara. I was sent on a mission to get this little girl on her way out of Kohona. We were told you weren't going to be leaving for a few more days, so I got there late. I've been trailing you, Katara. My leader… He wants you to going the Akatsuki."

I looked at him and laughed. Harp growled at him, obviously unhappy with how he was treating the situation. He looked pained as I looked at him, tears of frustration and sadness seeming like tears of joy, of laughter. He'd never know the difference. He never could tell.

"Katara, I need you to know that I've been given orders to take you out if you don't accept his offer to join. Katara, please. I don't want to do that to you."

I sighed. "Okay, since I don't want to die quite yet, I'll join."

He let out a sigh of relief.

"As long as you're not the one to bring me in."

He seemed to pale a little bit. His eyes went cold, his mouth firmed. I smiled sweetly and stroked Harp's head. The mutt grumbled her appreciation and pressed against my hand. I went to my knees and began to rough house with her. I ended up on the ground rolling around with the dog as Itachi went back to find somebody else to come take me back.

He left. Then returned in a matter of seconds. "Don't go anywhere."

"Where would I go, Itachi? The only one who really cared about me probably isn't even looking for me right now.  
She was rewarded with watching him wince slowly.

~Itachi's P.O.V.~

I clenched my teeth together as I went a bit further into the woods where I had just emerged. Hidan, Kisame, and Deidara were all at our camp. They jumped up when they saw me approach. Then they all donned looks of confusion as they saw that I didn't have Katara with me. I ground my teeth together as I threw a pot against a tree.

"Uhh… Itachi?" Kisame asked as I spun around and glared at the rest of them. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Everything's fine." A deep breath. "But one of you will have to go get the girl. She's waiting with her dog. She won't allow me to escort her back to the base."

Hidan shrugged his shoulders and walked forward. Kisame hung back, looking at the pot that was bent at all different angles from where it had been thrown against the tree. Deidara was going to go with Hidan, but Hidan stopped him with a look. The blond man shuddered as he saw the look that was in Hidan's eyes.

I grabbed Hidan by the shoulders, shoved him against the trunk of a tree. "You hurt her, and I'll have your head. Do you understand me?"

He nodded, not bothering to justify me with a response. I was already annoyed with myself. I had no idea how my men were going to take it. Deidara put his hand on my shoulder and shrugged. Kisame went off to the fire that was going and put it out. I began to pace.

_Get her out of your system, _Itachi told himself as he paced, watching the trees for Hidan and Katara. My system went into hyper drive when they didn't arrive back immediately. _She's not good for you, boy. You should just get her out of your system now. Then maybe you can be friends._

I felt a hand land softly on my shoulder. With a curse, I closed my fingers over the hand and ripped them over and onto their back in front of me. I felt a soft stab of regret as I saw Deidara's wide eyes look up at me from the ground. Then I steeled myself against emotions as I glared down at him, half tempted to kick his head in.

"Itachi," Deidara said as he raised himself onto his elbows and looked at me. "What's eating you, un?"

I glared at Deidara and stalked off. I could hear her to my left, chattering happily away to Hidan about her mutt. My teeth ground together as I realized that she was pleased, as was Hidan. I sighed, slammed my fists into a few tree trunks. Took a deep breath, released it, counted to ten. None of it worked.

_Katara, I'll play by your rules._

~Katara's P.O.V.~

"Harp is actually really great company," I said as I walked with Hidan, who appeared to be hanging onto every word I said. "She talks."

He laughed, the sound deep, throaty, and rich. "She does not."

"No joke!" I said as I scratched the top of Harp's head. "Harp, tell Hidan that you can talk."

Harp looked at Hidan and grumbled and groaned. She barked toward some trees, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end again. I sighed, shook my head, and smiled up at Hidan. He was laughing, his body jerking as he tried not to laugh too loud. Harp and I grinned.

"No shit," Hidan said as he righted himself with a deep breath. "You really weren't kidding."

I grinned at him and stepped over a log. As my opposite leg went to cross over the large piece of wood, it caught and I began to fall. I almost laughed at myself. Once again, my body braced itself for the contact with the mossy earth when a strong pair of arms surrounded my waist. Hidan yanked me back to my feet. I swayed, crashed into him, his front to my back. His breath was at my ear, tickling. I closed my eyes and took a long, shuddering breath.

Then I felt his tongue slide across my earlobe. I groaned. His arms tightened across me, cutting off most of my air. My eyes snapped open and I tugged out of his grip. I was breathing off kilter, but I managed to square my shoulders. Harp growled and put herself between me and Hidan, groaning and grumbling her displeasure at the man.

"Uh, I'm sorry about that," I mumbled as I turned around and kept walking.

I nearly groaned as I saw my wound had started bleeding. I glared at Harp, who was grumbling and groaning in an I-told-you-so tone. The dog barked at me, not appreciating the look. I shook my head and sighed as I lifted the shirt I was wearing and tied it in a knot above my wound so it wouldn't get more blood on it. I liked this shirt.

I didn't look up as I examined my wounds. I knew woods well enough to walk over dismembered trees. I was poking at my stomach when Harp barked at me. Even the bark held a questioning tone. _Crap, _I thought, _what did I do this time?_

_ 'Turn around, child. And you will find out.'_

"Shut up, Akira," I snapped as I turned around and found four guys staring at me. I sighed.

_'My child, you are the one talking to yourself.'_

"I said shut up!"

~Deidara's P.O.V.~

"Uh…" I mumbled as I stared at the girl. She was beautiful, but kinda scary dressed in all black. "Itachi?"

"…"

"Because that's so the reply I was looking for."

He turned to glare at me. Good enough.

"Is she usually so… Uh…?"

"No."

I shrugged. Good enough answer for me. As long as she wasn't insane and didn't attempt to kill us, I figured she wasn't too bad to look at. With those long legs and cropped black and blonde hair. Her skin was almost pale, but looked as if it had gotten some sun and it was agreeing with her. I mentally checked for drool. Then I noticed the struck look in Itachi's eyes.

_This is going to be oh so much fun, _I thought as I watched the girl. _By the time we get her to the base, we'll be at each other's throats and beating our heads in with clubs._

~Katara's P.O.V.~

I laughed at myself. I had to look increadibly stupid talking to what seemed like myself. Of course, Akira had known they were all there. She just loved to make me look like a fool. Damn demon. I sighed as I looked down at my tummy, which had a wound that was slowly trickling blood down the skin.

"Uh… Hi?" I mumbled, somewhat nervous.

_Damn you, Akira._

_ 'But child, you are so much more amusing when you look insane.'_

_ Fuck you, Akira. Fuck. You._

_ 'Don't talk to me in such a manner!'_

_ Fuck. You. Fuck. You. Fuck. You._

_ 'My child… I'll remember that. You'll pay for it.'_

_ Yeah? Fuck you._

The demon sighed. I laughed mentally. Didn't want to seem like I was more insane to these people who I'd never met. Speaking of those people… I turned to stare at them. Hidan I already knew, Itachi I already knew… The blonde was kinda cute with his blue eyes and long blonde hair. I'd have to talk to him. Then the red head… He seemed kinda off, but he was a cutie. Shaggy hair, with what I was guessing was an okay build. I'd have to see…

"Uh… Katara?" Hidan asked as he waved a hand in front of my face. "Anybody home?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry!" I mumbled as I snapped to attention. "I was off thinking, apparently. Hah. My bad."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Hidan said with a smile. "We're just leaving. C'mon, you can walk with me."

I smiled and opened my mouth to speak when I was cut off by the blonde.

"Or me!" he said with an award-winning smirk.

The redhead smiled shyly. "Or you could walk with me… I'd be the perfect gentleman…"

I smiled sweetly at the three of them. I didn't know how I was going to choose. Hidan was nice company and could make me laugh with such small words. The blonde was just too adorable with how his hair fell across his face and his blue eyes were so trusting. And the redhead seemed so shy! I was about to answer when I was yanked to somebody's side. I gritted my teeth and glared at Itachi.

"We'll finish it this way," he said in an annoyed fashion. "She'll walk with me. And you three can stop competing for her attention. Got it?"

I sighed and shook my head. Then movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I whipped around, my hand going for the kunai that was at my ankle. Then I stopped and stared. The movement had been a guy. With blue skin. And… Gills? I swayed slightly and cursed as my vision started to blue.

"'tachi…" I mumbled as I swayed again. "I'm gonna faint. Catch me?"

The ground came up to catch me. And my vision went blank.


	5. Chapter 5

**Part Five: Utter Chaos**

~Itachi's P.O.V.~

I cursed as I felt Katara's body go limp against me. A moment's terror gripped my heart as I watched her fall toward the earth. I grabbed hold of her, releasing a sigh of relief as she fell into my arms. I mentally groaned as the old familiar feelings flew through my body. Love, confusion, anger, frustration… Content.

Kisame walked over, hands in the pockets of his pants. "Hey, what happened to her?"

I shrugged and picked her up in my arms. She fit perfectly. The fact that I had thought that irked me a little, but I pushed it out of my head. For the moment, Katara was in my arms and wasn't complaining about it. If only that would happen when she was conscious. That would be… Perfect.

"Let's move," I snapped as I began to walk forward.

The others all jumped to attention and scurried around the makeshift camp to gather what supplies we had. Which was the cloaks. Kisame grabbed mine and didn't say a word. Smart man. The other three kept their traps shut, though I could feel the glares they were sending my way.

_Let them be jealous, _I thought to myself as I looked down to Katara's face. _Because I guarantee they won't end up with you._

_ 'Neither will you, child.'_

_ Who the hell are you?_

_ 'The famous Akira. I can talk to people who touch her. A nifty little gift, is it not?'_

_ Uh… I guess…_

_'Child. Do not get too attached to this young one. I do not see far into our future.'_

I shut out the demon. I refused to think of Katara dying. Or disappearing. Or both. She was here to stay, and I'd make damn sure of it. I looked down into her face, which was smirking as she snuggled into my shoulder. I nearly held my breath. What a perfect moment… If only she was awake.

"Mmm… Itachi," Katara muttered in her sleep on a moan.

I came to a complete stop. Had she really just done that? I looked down at her again. A content smile was on her lips as her eyes fluttered open. Oh, no… Not that. She looked up at me with a sleepy smile. She brought her head up to mine and kissed me. I stopped breathing for a moment, my heart stopped beating, time ceased to continue.

She was perfect. Her mouth was soft and firm as it pressed against mine. I licked at hers and she opened them. I swiped my tongue in her mouth, over her tongue, along her teeth. She moaned and grabbed the back of my neck and held on. I was in heaven…

~Katara's P.O.V.~

In my dream, Itachi was kissing me. Stroking my hair as he put my legs back on the ground. I was off center. I pushed my body into his, smiling against his lips as he kissed me back. His tongue was playing with mine, encouraging me to enter his mouth. I did and moaned at the flavor. He was exquisite! The taste alone could undo me…

Then I woke up.

And saw that it wasn't a dream at all, but reality.

I looked at Itachi with wide eyes as I pulled away. My lips were tingling from the kiss we had just stared. I blushed and turned away, my head still spinning a tad bit. Harp barked and ran over to me, jumping and licking at my face. I cursed and started to fall back, the large dog on top of me. Then I felt Itachi's hands reach out for me, trying to keep me balanced.

Just like that, the world crashed around us. Harp's body weight was too much for the two of us to keep upright with such momentum. She pushed me down, and I pushed Itachi into the ground with me. Harp's body pushed me against Itachi's body, which wasn't angry with the situation. I blushed and squirmed underneath Harp, trying to get up. Itachi drew in a sharp breath and held me still.

"I wouldn't recommend that," Itachi snapped at me. "Because if you keep wiggling, then we're both going to have a large problem."

I blushed again and pushed Harp off of me. The dog rolled off my body with a grumble and laid on the ground with her legs up in the air, asking for a belly rub. I glared at the dog as I scrambled off of Itachi and stood next to the mammoth of a dog. She grinned up at me, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

_She couldn't have done that purposefully…_ I thought to myself.

_'Looks like I'm not the only one who enjoys making you look like a fool.'_

_ Sometimes I hate you…_

_ 'Well, you need to get friendly with that Uchiha boy. I did enjoy the feeling of him pressed against us.'_

_ What? You are such a-_

_ 'Language, child. Language.'_

"I'm the only person in the world with a pervy demon," I muttered as I walked back over to the others. Then I noticed the Fish man. I walked up to him, stared at him. Almost fainted again. "What's your name?"

"Kisame," he replied.

"You know, Kisame," I said as I cocked my head to the side. "You scare the crap out of me."

"I'm not the only scary one," he muttered.

I looked back to Itachi, who was looking down at his lap with determined look on his face. I laughed. He looked up at me and glared. I smiled sweetly at him as I sashayed over to him. With a secretive smile, I planted myself between his spread legs. He glared at me again as he dropped his arms in front of his happy little friend.

"So I just learned something that was quite frankly disturbing," I said as I glared daggers at him.

"And what is that, exactly?" his voice sounded a big gruff. I felt kinda bad.

"That there's more scary things than that blue fish thing over there."

He laughed, the sound pained. "Trust me, you won't enjoy it."

"Damn you!"

He smiled up at me with some secret agenda in mind. "Just payback, Katara. For this lovely little present here."

I smirked at him. If he thought this was as bad as it got, he had more coming. I went down on my hands and knees, the tank top showing off my cleavage. His eyes stayed glued there. Oh, the knowledge that I could do that made me grin evilly. Then he glared at me as he realized what I was doing.

"Trust me, Weasel," I said as I kissed his cheek. "You'll be feeling like this for awhile. For payback."

"You're a bitch."

"Thank you, honey."

I smiled as I walked away, sashaying my hips once again. I figured he was biting back a groan and smiled to myself as I walked over to the other boys. The redhead smiled shyly once again and I just had to walk up and kiss his cheek. It was impulse. He blushed redder than his hair and I giggled. He really was adorable.

"You're just too cute," I said as I grinned at him. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Sasori," he said as he blushed once again.

"You're gonna be my new best friend, Sasori."

He grinned from ear to ear. He was such a cute guy! He gave me a huge hug and I laughed. When he pulled back, he was looking at somebody behind us in a pissed off fashion. I sighed and turned around to find that Hidan and the blonde guy staring at us. I sighed and shook my head as I walked over to the blonde.

"What's your name?" I asked as my fingers itched to touch his hair. It looked so soft…

"Deidara," he muttered looking at the ground.

"Aw!" I squealed as I hugged him. "Little Dei Dei! That's your new name now."

He sighed and shook his head. I grinned and kissed his cheek as well. He blushed as red as Sasori had and I had to giggle once again. Hidan puffed out his cheeks and rolled his eyes. Aw, poor little Hidan was feeling neglected. I sighed and kissed Hidan's cheek, also, just because I could. This nagging feeling told me to look behind me, toward Kisame. And like the fool I was, I did and was caught in his stare.

He glared at me, his eyes glinting in anger. I winced and felt a stab of something in my heart. Regret? I shrugged it off and smiled at the others. They grinned and started walking away. I looked over to where Itachi had stood, well, sat, and saw that he had already begun to walk, somewhat stiffly. Now I felt really bad. With another sigh, I walked up to him and grabbed a handful of his very long hair. Man, he needed a haircut.

He glared at me and attempted to walk away, but I yanked his head back. He cursed and came around, hand smacking my face accidently. But man, did it hurt. I glared at him and yanked him into the trees. Luckily, the others had been arguing over something and hadn't noticed that we had managed to disappear. Itachi glared as he slammed me into a tree trunk. The air left my body in a whoosh as I glared at him.

"What do you want, Katara?" Itachi asked he pressed me into the tree trunk by the neck.

"Want to help you, you idiot," I snapped as I struggled to get air into my system. "With your little friend there."

Itachi look struck. I laughed.

"What did you say?" he asked, eyes wide.

"I want to help you with your little buddy here."

"Serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious."


	6. Chapter 6

**Part Six: Unexpected Surprise**

~Katara's P.O.V.~

"Well?" I asked, somewhat annoyed, somewhat nervous. "Are you going to let me go or just stand there gaping like a giant-"

Itachi crashed his mouth to mine. This was nothing like the sweet meeting of lips we had previously shared. This was all force and fire and need. I moaned and arched against him as he let go of my neck and yanked my body towards his. I hooked a leg around his waist and bit his bottom lip. He smirked and slammed my body back against the tree, making me gasp in surprise.

I felt him smirk against my lips as his hands found mine. I looked up at him, fear and content showing in my eyes. He grinned a bit devilishly and pushed my hands above my head, held them there against the tree. He kissed me slowly, making my legs quiver in excitement. His mouth slowly traveled down my cheek to my neck, nibbling along the way. I hissed a breath in through my teeth.

He paused, biting down softly on the flesh of my throat. I moaned and dropped my neck to the side, allowing him better access. He growled low in his throat, in what I was guessing approval. He sucked on the pulse spot that lay at the base in my throat, his tongue rubbing over it every so often. I arched against his hands, straining to get free.

"Katara," Itachi muttered against my skin as he forcefully held my wrists against the tree, his body pushing into mine to stop my squirming. "You said you wanted to help. You have to play by my words, understand?"

I whimpered. No fair. "Yeah, I understand."

He laughed and kissed my sulking lips. "No pouting."

I glared at him. He grinned at me and kissed me once again, sending all those thoughts of walking away to the wind. His lips were so warm, so firm, so soft against mine I nearly came undone. Then I felt one of his hands give, but before I could move the hand down to touch him, he had it gripped in the other one. His hand slowly moved down my body, under my shirt, up towards my breasts. I bit my lip as he started to once again kiss my neck.

Itachi smiled against my skin as his hand began to slowly work at the bra I was wearing. I bit my lip, trying to fight off the feeling of being nervous. He whisked my bra off of my shoulders, snapping the straps off out of pure frustration and impatience. He laughed as my shirt was pushed up so he could slowly kiss my breasts, driving me nearly insane. I gasped out his name as I arched against him, my body twisting and turning as I was nudged over the first peak of pleasure.

Itachi smirked at me, eyes full of passion. He ripped at the shorts, shoving them down my hips followed by the underwear that I had been wearing. His pants followed suit as he forced them down his hips with one hand. I forced back the nervous feeling that fluttered inside me as he came to that opening that nobody had touched before.

He pushed my hair out of my face and gently kissed my mouth. "Katara. Have you ever done this before?"

I shook my head while facing the ground. I was afraid to see the look in his eyes. Afraid to see if he was laughing at me. His finger tipped my head up and he slowly kissed my closed eyelids, my nose, my lips. Softly. So very softly. He grinned as he pulled away and watched my eyes slowly flutter open.

"Katara," he whispered as he slowly began to slide into me. "You honor me with this. So very much."

I smiled as he kissed me once again, harder this time. Air began to escape out into the open world and seemed not to enter through my nose or mouth to supply air to my lungs. Then I felt a stinging sensation below and I groaned against Itachi. He rained kisses down my face and whispered sweet nothings in my ear. I squirmed at the discomfort for a moment before I finally settled against him.

"Well?" I asked, acting annoyed. "Is this it? Or…?"

"Oh, trust me," Itachi said with a wicked grin. "There's more."

And then he moved. I gasped at the feeling of him slowly draw out of me before slowly plunging back in. My fingers curled into my palms as a wave of pleasure slowly washed over my body. Itachi groaned slightly as he continued to slide in and out of me, slowly, so slowly. Once again I squirmed against him, arching against his confinements, as the wave washed over my body once again. I saw his jaw tighten and felt his body go stiff as my inner body clamped down around him, pulling, causing me to moan. I felt him shudder, slam into me, spill into me.

I pressed my head into his shoulder and moaned. With a loving sigh, I pressed a kiss to his skin, tasting the sweet tang of salty skin. He laughed and pushed his hair out of his eyes to look down at me. He smoothed my black and blonde locks and smiled at me, entertained by my simple pleasures. I kissed him slowly, smiling as he slowly withdrew and drew his pants around his hips. His hands were quick as he recovered my body and pressed a kiss to my temple.

"Katara," Itachi muttered as he stepped away, keeping me glued to his side. "As much as I'd prefer we stay here, I think we better get moving before they figure out we're missing."

I sighed. "How much longer do you think we have until they finally figure out we're gone?"

I heard a crash and a curse to my left. With a sigh, I shook my head. If they had been not thirty seconds earlier… I blushed and looked at Itachi, who was having the same reaction. He pressed me against his body, watching the woods. Deidara crashed through some more trees, cursing as his arm caught on a low hanging branch. He grinned when he saw us.

"Hey!" he yelled, waving his arms like a frantic lunatic. "I found 'em!"

I cursed under my breath and quickly made sure all my clothing was in place. The fabric was sticking to my sweaty skin. I shrugged. It could very well be worse. Itachi glared at Deidara, who was turned around and yelling to the others. I smiled and pecked his cheek before walking away.

Itachi stormed past me, obviously in a mood. I sighed and shook my head. It was just like him to share something as special as we just had and stomp off all pissy for some reason. Deidara gave me an apologetic smile and offered an arm. With a shrug, I took it and we walked out of the wooded area back into the road. Harp barked at me, licking my legs before she started grumbling.

"My guess is that I scared you?" I asked as the dog continued to grumble at me. She looked up and barked once. "Okay, my bad. Now, are we okay now?"

Harp grumbled before she smiled at me, all of her pearly whites showing. I smiled down at the dog. I had officially become a woman, nearly been caught in the act of becoming a woman, and had just now been given a lecture from my dog. I laughed so hard until tears fell from my eyes. Deidara was giving me a weird look, as were Kisame, Sasori, and Hidan. Itachi hightailed it from the front to stand in front of me, shooing Deidara from my side. He tilted my face up using one of his fingers and laughed at me.

"Katara," he said calmly as he grabbed my hand and started to pull me forward. "Did you hit your head on something?"

"Of course not!" I said, having difficulties breathing due to the fits of giggles that were claiming my body. "Just had a very funny thought, that's all."

I smiled to myself as we began to walk. The others followed suit. A small woodland animal caught Harp's attention before it shot off down the road. The mutt barked loudly before chasing after it at full speed.

What happened next seemed to go by in slow motion. A kunai was thrown from the woods. The speck of silver drove right toward where Harp's chest was going to be in minutes. I called out for her, my heart seeming to stop beating in my chest. Harp's attention was drawn to me as she slowed down, started to turn. It was still too late. The kunai was driven deep into her chest. She went down on a howl. I was already at her side, Itachi and the others cursing at me as I ran to the dog, oblivious to what could happen to me.

Tears were streaming down my cheeks as I cradled Harp's body against mine. The light in her eyes was fading as I pulled the kunai from her skin and tried my best to stop the bleeding. The damn thing had most likely penetrated her heart, it was going fast enough. I kissed her cheek, pressed my hands harder against the wounds, and welcomed Akira.

_'Child, there is nothing I can do for this one.'_

_ YOU HAVE TO TRY!_

_ 'Child…'_

_ Please, Akira. Just do it. Just try. For me. Just try, damn you!_

_ 'For how bad you are hurting, I will try. Press both hands to her chest.'_

I did as I was told. I pressed both hands against the wound. Her blood escaped over my hands, between my fingers. Akira threw her being into my hands, focusing all her energy there. Harp's body writhed as she whined, the sound breaking my heart. Sobs racked my body as Akira poured most of her power into the dog's body. Harp's bleeding slowly stopped, but the dog remained stiff. I noticed she wasn't breathing. Her eyes were open, but there was no life left in them.

"No!" I cried, cradling her bloody body against mine as I rocked her back and forth. "No! No, no, no! Come back to mama, Harp. Just do it. Come back, damn you!"

_'Child… She is gone. I am sorry.'_

_ Why didn't you save her?_

_ 'There was nothing I could do… She was already too far gone when I got to her.'_

I moaned and pressed my face against her neck like I had done thousands of times before. There was nothing left to my loyal dog of so many years. I felt somebody grab my hands, pry them away from Harp's body. I screamed, fought back, but was brought against a strong chest as arms clamped around my body and held me still. I buried my face into that chest and cried.

"Katara," Itachi's voice sounded pained. His voice was hoarse. "Katara, please stop crying."

I shook my head and cried into his chest. My whole body was most likely covered in blood. I ground my teeth together and tore away from Itachi to look back over towards where Harp had been not moments before chasing a creature in content. I yelled at Hidan and Sasori as I noticed they were hefting Harp to the side of the road, no doubt to toss her there and move on.

"Katara, we need to leave," Itachi said, touching my arm slightly. "We really do."

"I'm not leaving until I bury her, Itachi. No chance in hell."

"Katara, somebody will come along and bury her…"

I walked over to him, tears streaming down my face. He winced as he took in my appearance. I was blood and blood stained, suffering, wanting to take Harp's spot. He nodded and raised his arms in defeat. If my best friend had not died in my arms, I may have rejoiced at that moment. I looked over to where Hidan was dragging Harp across the dirt, Sasori no longer helping.

I ran up to him, threw myself against his arms. He grunted and brushed me to the side. I clawed at his hands and he shrugged off the pain. I sighed and judged a good angle. With a glare, I brought my foot up, faster and harder than what was required and slammed it against his lower parts. He moaned in pain, his hands shooting down to cup his bruised genitals, and fell to the ground besides Harp.

I looked down at my baby. Her coat was smeared with tears, blood, and dirt. She looked filthy. She looked dead. I sniffled as I crouched beside her, dragging a hand across her still-soft fur. I cried as I scooped her awkwardly into my arms and walked behind us. I had spotted a beautiful little hill, with a lone oak tree. A spur of the moment decision had been used to decide it was going to be Harp's final resting spot.

The others walked quietly behind me as I sniffled and hiccupped. Harp's body was limp in my arms as I struggled to keep her in them. I refused to let anybody else help me with this. She was my dog. My responsibility. And she was going to get a memorial, no matter how small, given to her by the only one who had truly loved her.

_Akira…_

_ 'Yes, child?'_

_ Can you… Can you help me dig a grave for her?_

_ 'Yes, child. I can.'_

_ Thank you, Akira._

I nearly felt Akira hesitate. She wasn't going to answer. The demon was smart at times. I sniffled again and hated myself as I saw another tear fall onto Harp's coat. I very gently laid her beneath the shading of the oak tree as I called upon Akira to assist me in digging the grave. I smiled as I felt her claws spring from my fingers, slipping out of the skin. Akira wasn't even going to try to take over today. I didn't know if I was disappointed or relieved. I idly stood by as she used my limbs to scoop away dirt, forming a grave that was in the shape of a perfect heart. Akira really did care.

_'Of course, child. I am not always heartless and colt.'_

_ I'm sorry, Akira. I misread you._

_ 'Child, you are hurting. Do not add another burden to that bruised heart of yours.'_

I nodded to myself. Akira went back to her resting place in my body as I slowly made my way back toward Harp. The slow descent to scoop her into my arms seemed to take centuries. Walking back to the grave seemed to take even longer. When I gently placed her in the ground, I removed her collar. Just a last token. Something to remember her by. I kissed her cheek softly as I climbed out of the grave that Akira had built for me.

~Itachi's P.O.V.~

I nodded toward Deidara and watched as he grabbed hold of Katara before she could cover Harp's body with dirt. My teeth ground together as I heard her soft sobs. Her heart was breaking over the loss of her pet. I silently went to work with filling the grave. Dirt slowly poured over the edge, covering Harp's body. Katara's sobs grew louder, into a wail, before they slowly died off into soft whimpers.

I sighed as I looked down at the grave. It was once again filled. The grass removed, showing the perfect heart formation that I was guessing was a present from Akira, the lovely demon. Katara fell to her knees, sliding out of Deidara's grip. I nearly groaned at the irony. I had killed her parents, broken her heart, just over three years ago. But I had left her the mutt to help her through it.

Now I had taken that away from her, as well.

I curled my fingers into fists, almost smiling at the pain as the nails bit into the skin there. I would find out who did this eventually. And I'd kill them slowly. Monsters who took all that held a person sane for years away with the flick of a wrist didn't deserve the fast death that Harp had been rewarded with.

Deidara's arms slipped off of Katara's body. She crumbled to the ground, curling her body around itself. I growled low in my throat and scooped her into my arms. I pressed my lips to her temple as I began to walk away. Her body shook in the aftermath of shock and her sobbing. She drew herself against me and drifted off to sleep while silent tears flowed down her cheeks.


	7. Chapter 7

**Part Seven:**

~Kakashi's P.O.V.~

I sighed as I watched Naruto stuff his face with ramen. Iruka sat beside me, smart not to say anything. My search for Katara had ended at a little house a few villages over. They said she had left. I sighed as I looked over at Iruka. He gave me a sad smile and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Kakashi," Naruto said over a mouthful of ramen. "Where is Katara? I haven't talked to her in awhile."

I sighed out a breath and pulled out my book. Reading didn't excite me. I closed my eyes, pressing my hand against the one that wasn't covered by my mask. Naruto didn't know. Sakura didn't know. Sasuke didn't know. Nobody but the senseis knew of Katara's disappearance.

"I just threw a kunai. It was sorta reaction," a man beside me was telling his buddy. "Of course, after I saw it go down, I saw it was a dog. A huge tan dog. I felt so horrible. Then this girl ran up and was crying and yelling over and over to the dog. Apparently its name was Harp. Man, did I feel guilty. I hightailed it outta there."

I snapped to attention. I spun around, scaring all the men surrounding me. "The girl. What did she look like?"

"Well... Shorter, black and blonde hair, long, had it tied back-"

"Where and when did this happen?"

"Well... A few days ago. Outside of... where was it, Adieu?"

"That little town with the pink building that looks like a fish."

I looked over at Iruka, my eyes screaming with an apology. He nodded and lifted a hand. Naruto didn't even look up from his ramen. Harp was dead. Katara would be... God, I hoped she was still alive. That dog meant everything to her. Absolutely everything. More than her own life.

I quickly ran from Konoha. Everybody stared at me wide eyed as I dove between them, not bothering with excuses or apologies. I had my first lead in a few days. She wasn't going to get away this easily. Sasuke was standing in the middle of the training grounds, throwing kunai at targets. I shook my head. He really was going to become a great ninja.

I sighed as I realized that Harp wasn't going to keep her promise. She wasn't going to keep Katara out of trouble. The girl was going to go slowly insane without that dog by her side. I shook my head and continued to run. She was going to be fine. _She'll come home and we can go back to how it used to be, _I thought to myself.

~Katara's P.O.V.~

I groaned as I woke up, groggy as hell. I immediately knew we were still moving. With a sigh, I looked around, looking for my dog. Then my heart broke as remembered what had just happened. I stirred in Itachi's arms and he shifted me to where I would have laid more comfortably against him. I laughed and looked up at the man who had done so much to me, for me.

"Hey!" he whispered softly as he gave me a smile. "You're awake. I was wondering how long you'd sleep."

I yawned and looked around. Darkness was around us. We were no longer on a trail. I slowly looked around, flinched when part of a tree scraped against my arm. We weren't near any town. I could guarantee it. I looked up at Itachi in suspicion. He wasn't looking at me. Not a good sigh.

"Itachi?" I asked, squirming in his arms. I was scared and nervous. "Itachi. How long have I been out?"

"Well... The rest of us kinda kept you sleeping. We didn't hit you or anything but we just kept you asleep."

"Why."

"Kakashi."

I nearly slapped him. The way he said his name, full of hate. It wasn't right. Kakashi had taken me in when nobody else would. He had shown me that people cared. He was a great guy. And he didn't deserve how Itachi was talking about him, metaphorically thinking about him. Kakashi... The name itself sent me headlong into a brick wall. I was screwed.

"What about him?"

"He caught up with us. So Deidara and Sasori stayed behind to take care of him."

"They didn't kill him, right?"

"Sadly, no."

I smacked him. "Don't be like that! Kakashi took me in when nobody else would. After you killed everything that meant anything to me! Don't think its his fault when it was yours."

Itachi glared at me, his eyes cold and glinting in anger. I nearly flinched away, but everything that had been repressed from the past few days was rising, spilling out of my body in pissed off waves. I glared at him as I walked away from him and over towards Hidan, who was standing near a giant rock. He looked at me, as if somewhat afraid what Itachi would do.

I sighed and leaned against the trunk of a tree. Hidan laughed and spun his hand around in the traditional turn-around sigh. I glared at him for a moment before I turned around, pushing my knuckles into the bark and laughing slightly at the blood that seeped down the grooves of my new found friend. I decided to name him Skeeter.

"Uh..." a feminine voice from behind me sounded. "Can anybody explain why there's a chick currently pounding in the face of a tree?"

"Its name is Skeeter," I said without turning around.

I turned around and looked at the newcomer. I had been correct. The new specimen was a woman. She was average in the build, minus the fact her boobs were slightly larger-than-normal. I almost laughed. She had beautiful orange eyes, purple hair that was nearly as long as mine, and a strange aura about her.

"Who are you?" we asked at the same time.

I laughed at her and shook my head. I had asked first. With a sigh, I leaned back against Skeeter and noted that the large rock had been moved. Of course they would hide a base in a giant ass rock. I looked over at the others who shrugged and walked into the split rock. With a shrug, I walked after them. I gnawed on my bottom lip as I realized that Itachi wasn't walking by me. Maybe he was too mad...

"I'm Katana, by the way," the other girl muttered as she did some fancy hand signs and the rock closed behind us.

"I'm Katara," I said as I fell into step beside her. "Why do I all of a sudden feel like we're going to cause a hell of a lot of confusion?"

She grinned at me. "Because we are."

"Heh."

I sighed and thought back to what had been said to Itachi. I winced at my cruel words. I really had been too hard on him. He didn't deserve any of that stuff to be directed towards him. I dragged a hand through my hair and winced at the dried blood my fingers went through. I growled at myself, and Akira laughed inside of me. I growled again in annoyance.

"Uh Katara?" Katana asked beside me. "Is there a reason we're doing this growly-growly routine?"

"Huh? Oh! I need to shower."

She laughed at me, the sound relaxed and somewhat calming. Nothing like the demon I sensed growing inside of her. "I know. I could smell the blood on you. But its not human..."

I ground my teeth together. "Dog."

"Oh. I'm sorry. Yours?"

"Yeah." I looked at her, and sprinted ahead.

I wasn't prepared to talk about Harp's death yet. I didn't even know how long she had been dead. And Kakashi... What must he think now? Did he think I betrayed him? I bit my lip and dropped my head, staring at the floor while I tried to force the tears back. I gasped when I bumped into somebody. I stepped back, raising my head, mouth opening to begin to apologize.

"Itachi..." I breathed as I bit my lip once again.

"Hey, have you been crying? Did Katana say something...?" he asked as he raised my chin even higher so he could look at my eyes again. His mouth was set into a grim line.

"No. She didn't say anything bad."

"Then what did she do?"

"She asked about the blood that was on my body. She knew it wasn't human."

Itachi's eyes softened slightly. He was concerned, sorry. I smiled at him, laid a hand against his cheek. He kissed my lips lightly and pulled me against him. I wrapped my arms around him and breathed in his scent, feeling safety in the steel of his embrace.

"C'mon," he said as he picked me up and walked off. "Let's go get you cleaned up."

"Don't you mean I should go get myself cleaned up?"

He grinned mischievously. "No. I mean we should go get you cleaned up."

"Mr. Uchiha!"

He chuckled all the way down the hallway.

**~Sorry about how short is is. Haha. But yeah... I'm getting used to OpenOffice right now. I don't like it too much. But I will be uploading soon! And I do have secrets that you probably won't like. And yeah... Let me know what you think about it!~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Part Eight: Say What...?**

I uncurled from my previous spot on the bed. Itachi had left hours ago with a sad glance towards me. I sighed and pressed a hand to my stomach, grimacing at the slight bloatedness that was felt. It had been two months, three days, and sixteen minutes since Harp's death. Yes, I counted. Since that dreadful moment, Itachi had attempted to cheer me up with no avail.

I mentally groaned as I heard the door open once again. The footsteps hesitantly came to rest near my side of the bed. With a heavy sigh, I looked up at Itachi. He smiled at me and held out a hand. Nervous, I accepted the hand and allowed myself to be pulled from the bed. Itachi then proceeded to pull me out of the room I had stayed in for two months and towards the base's opening.

"Itachi," I muttered as I started to pull back. The sun hurt my eyes. "What are you doing?"

"I have a present for you," he muttered as he pulled me into the shade. "I want you to stay here, okay? Don't move. You'll burn if you stay out in the sun too long at the moment. Your skin is too pale."

Thus said the palest man I know.

I nodded and leaned up against the bark of a tree. My stomach gave a violent lurch, causing me to double over and upheave my stomach contence. I groaned and pressed a hand against my stomach, praying a second wave didn't come again. Luckily, it didn't. Then I slowly began to realize that lately I had been throwing up on a daily basis, only able to eat crackers...

Could I be...?

"Katara?" Itachi questioned, waving a hand in front of my face. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" I questioned as I snapped back to attention. "Oh! Yeah, I'm okay. Just day dreaming, apparently."

Itachi smiled at me and stepped to the side. Sitting behind where he had stood was a little ball of fluff. I looked down in amazement. The little ball of fluff was an adorable little caramel colored dog. It barked at me before attacking my legs with kisses. Tears cascaded down my cheeks as I bent to the ground and scooped up the little puppy into my arms.

Itachi appeared in front of me, hesitant. He opened his arms, waiting for me to step between them. I hiccuped loudly, buried my head in his chest, and wept. His arms circled around me, pressing me into him. The puppy squirmed and barked happily, licking at our faces. I laughed and pulled away, looking down at the little bundle of joy.

"So what did you name him?" Itachi asked as he scratched the ears of the little thing.

"Violin." I mumbled as I stroked the dog's silky ear.

Itachi laughed and pulled the two of us back inside the base. For two months, I had resigned to Itachi's room, not wanting to deal with the others who would ask questions. Now, two months later, I was standing inside the base, looking at everybody who I had known before I had gone into seclusion. Katana smiled at me, Deidara and Sasori literally glowed, Kisame gave an odd wave and looked off into space. I raised an eyebrow in question towards Itachi.

"We all pitched in," Itachi said. "Even Zetsu, who you have yet to meet."

"Zetsu?" I questioned, looking confused.

"I'm Zetsu," a shadow from the back spoke up. I glanced at the shadow, noticed the fly trap, the bright white of his skin.

I walked up to him, holding the puppy to my chest. Zetsu looked scarier up close, half and half, black and white, with a badass air about him. He squirmed under my gaze and I smiled at him. With a sigh, I reached for his hands, brought them to the puppy who pressed his body against him. Zetsu looked away, somewhat unnamed at the thought of petting such an innocent animal.

"Thank you, Zetsu," I said as I looked down at little Violin. "That means a lot to me. Hopefully we can be friends."

"Friends," Zetsu said, trying out the word. "I'd like that."

"Hey!" a voice shouted from behind us. After a door closed. Hidan was home. "Someone upchucked outside! What's up with that?"

I paled. I had almost forgot about what had crossed my mind outside. Months of vomiting. Nibbling on crackers because of a testy stomach. Fatigued. I mentally groaned as I recognized the signs. Signs of pregnancy. I grabbed Katana and pulled her away from the group and into Itachi and I's room. I put the puppy on the floor and flung myself into a huge, fluffy chair.

"HEY!" Katana yelled as she rubbed at her arms. "What was all that about?"

I groaned and scrubbed at my eyes. Two months had gone by. Had I not noticed my once-a-month-gift had been lagging behind? That I had been having weird cravings like strawberries with roast beef? I smacked myself in the forehead and sighed.

"I think I'm pregnant."

Time stood still. I even thought that Katana had quit breathing. I looked up and found her stunned, her mouth opening and closing automatically. I laughed. She looked like a fish out of water. She smacked her forehead and let a few curse words fly. With another sigh, she plopped down into another fluffy chair that was placed next to mine.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

I looked at her as if she had grown another head. She laughed and hugged me. I grew still in her arms, confused. Me pregnant? This was going to be a long, bumpy ride. Especially since Itachi was the father. Katana smiled at me, her orange eyes glowing with happiness. I was even more confused.

"So I don't have to go through this alone!" she almost shouted in glee. "We can be pregnancy partners!"

I opened my mouth to reply but was cut off by the iciest voice that I had ever heard.

"Pregnancy." the voice said, annoyed and pissed off. "Katara. Do you have something to tell me?"

"I-I don't know yet..."

He glared at me, eyes glinting black in anger. I flinched. He had never used those eyes on me. I crossed my arms over my stomach, as if to protect this possible life inside of me from its father. Bile rose in my throat as I realized what Itachi was doing. He was rejecting me. Rejecting his child. I blinked back tears and turned away.

"Do us both a favor and find out, then. And in the meantime, you can stay with someone else. I don't want to share this room with a mutt. Dogs... I don't really like them."

I swallowed uneasily. He was so distatched. Distant. His cold gaze locked onto mine, a sadistic smile playing on his lips. I turned away, walking past him towards the door. He grabbed onto my upper arm and pulled me against him. I nearly squeaked in surprise. Then the anger slowly set in. He didn't have the right to touch me. He shouldn't be touching me. He had rejected me.

Rejected his baby.

Rejected his family.

Again.

"Katara," Itachi whispered as he nibbled on my ear. "I hope this doesn't cut into our play time."

I looked up at him, horror showing on my face. He laughed.

"Please. Did you think this was something serious?"

"But... I love you..."

"Oh, please. You were nothing but a plaything."

"But... Itachi..."

"Katara, I don't want you for a long-term thing. Nonetheless a family. So take it all with you if you are pregnant. If not... Feel free to come back."

I felt tears spring from my eyes. Itachi smiled at me, cold and icily. I wouldn't let him see me break anymore than he already had. I ran from the room, my heart breaking with every step I took. I heard Katana shout, heard her footsteps behind mine. I blocked it out as I headed towards the base's doors. She caught up to me, pulled me to a stop.

"Katara," she said around labored breathing. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Away."

"But you can't."

"Watch me."

"They'll kill you!"

I laughed, the sound hollow. "They can't kill something that is already dead, my friend."

"Stay with Deidara. He'll let you. He adores you. Lets straighten things out. Then we'll talk about leaving, okay?"

Hearing his name, Deidara managed to pop around the corner. He took one look at my tear-streaked face and took me into his arms. I buried my head in his chest and let the tears flow. He stroked my back, offered words of comfort. And when I was done, he picked me up and walked to his room without a word and placed me on the bed. I immediately curled onto my side and wished everything that had just happened was just a nightmare.

"Deidara..." I whispered as he was at the door. He stopped and turned around. "Can you... Can you go get Violin?"

"Sure I can," he said quietly as he slipped from the room.

I sighed and let my mind go blank. Even Akira was quiet, not willing to disturb me at this precise moment in time. My arms curled around my flat stomach, protecting the new life I was guessing I was carrying in my womb. I flinched as I thought of my baby growing up without a father. With a sad smile, I stroked my flat belly.

"You'll grow up with a mommy," I whispered, a smile playing on my lips. "I promise."

~Deidara's P.O.V.~

I barged into Itachi's room without knocking. He glared at me from his spot at the end of his bed. The puppy yipped and danced around my legs. I smiled and picked the little ball of fluff and cuddled it to my chest. The puppy let out a sound of approval and snuggled into my arms. Itachi made a motion to get up, but I stopped him with an icy glare of my own.

"No, just sit there," I said, my voice cold and detached. "I have something to say to you."

Itachi sighed and looked at me as if to say go on.

"You hurt her, you know. This woman who it is rumored you love. The woman you produced a child with. You hurt her beyond words. I hope you rot in hell, Itachi, for how you've made her feel. You just left her alone with a child. Your child. A child you probably won't be able to see now because of how you acted."

Itachi just looked at me. "How do you know that the child is mine?"

I was there in the blink of an eye, holding his throat with one hand and a puppy in the other. "How dare you insult her in such a way? That woman loves you, and you treat her like this! You know that the child is yours. So don't deny it."

I let him go, watched as some sort of emotion danced across his eyes. So he wasn't totally dead. The puppy growled at Itachi as I walked out of the room. The little thing made me laugh. Getting her this puppy was probably the best thing that we could have done for her.

"Okay, Violin," I muttered as I appeared at my doorway. "Your job is to help her through this, understand?"

A bark.

"Good. Now go see your new mommy."

I opened the door and set the puppy on the ground. The ball of fluff ran to the side of the bed, jumping onto the chair that stood next to my bed so that he could reach Katara's side. The puppy burrowed underneath her arm, snuggling into the sleeping woman. Katara smiled softly in her sleep and brought the puppy to her with a soft sigh. I smiled myself.

_At least she can be peaceful in her dreams, _I thought as I closed the door and headed down the hallway.

Katana stood by the entrance, looking confused and worried. I walked up to her, watched her jump as she realized I was there. Her orange eyes were pleading as she looked up at me, silently asking for information on her new friend. I smiled at her, a little bit sad, and shook my head.

"She's fine physically," I said as I looked back towards my room. "Mentally she's a mess. But she'll come 'round."

_Hopefully, _I thought with a last glance toward where the sleeping beauty lay.

"She never got a test," Katana said, following my gaze. "Should be get her one...?"

I snapped back to attention. "Yeah. That would actually probably be the best thing for her right now. We'll go get her one later today. As for right now, let her rest. Its the best thing we can do for her."

Katana nodded and walked away. I sighed and looked towards the end of the hallway. To His room. I nearly growled and went to kick his ass, but I managed to stop myself with the thought of food. I was hungry and craving a sandwich. With a smile, I walked into the kitchen and made two, one for Katara and one for myself.

I was about to turn around when I heard the door open. The soft footsteps that walked into the middle of the room. I grimaced at the thought of who it was. Who it could be. Katara?Katana? Zetsu? Hell... Itachi? That one made me laugh out loud. Like he'd care enough to come back and fix this problem on his own. I gathered the sandwiches and turned around, nearly choking on the first bite.

Itachi.

"I didn't mean to hurt her," he muttered, sliding into a chair. "I didn't want to. I didn't think I was saying those hurtful things until they had been said..."

My eyes widened. He was trying to say sorry? This was a once in a lifetime phenomenon.

"Is she... Is she okay?"

"As okay as she'll ever be."


	9. Chapter 9

**Part Nine: Avoiding the Problem**

~Katara's P.O.V.~

I sighed and rolled over, hitting Deidara's warm body. I came awake with a jolt, jumping away from the kind man. Violin scampered after me, whining. I bit my lip and hugged the little puppy to my chest, breathing heavily. The nightmare had come again, forced me awake with a jolt, nearly a scream like last time. I sighed in relief as I saw that Deidara was still sleeping, his features angelic.

I rose from the bed and slowly made my way to the bath. I rubbed a hand across my small baby bump with a smile. I had a new life growing inside of me. We had figured it out weeks ago with a simple home pregnancy test. I was going to be a mommy. A warm feeling spread throughout my body at the thought, making my smile widen.

I turned the water on full blast, the water hot enough to melt off flesh. Akira sighed in pleasure as the hot drops hit my skin. I groaned at the pleasure, the only thing that could make me feel like this anymore was bathing. Washing away the love for a man who shoved us out of his life. I slowly began to wash my body, my muscles aching for no apparent reason. I shrugged it off and quickly washed my hair before turning the water off and stepping from the shower.

Deidara was yelling at Violin, who was yipping at the door to the bathroom. It made me smile, think to happier times. Kakashi yelling at Harp. A sharp pang went through my heart at the memory, a sad smile came to my lips. Violin was great to have around, but he was no Harp. I was still lost without my big brown baby. It had been three months, three weeks, and twenty seven minutes since Harp had died. I still kept track of the time.

I quickly got dressed in some of Deidara's old clothes. The pants were baggy, nearly falling off at my hips. The shirt was huge, most likely something that he was given, not something he wore regularly. I smiled and tied the pants to my hips with a piece of string and hoped for the best. Stepping out of the bathroom, I smiled at Deidara, who was sitting up in bed, pushing his hair out of his eyes and glaring at the puppy, who was bouncing and barking at him from the edge of the bed.

I grinned and scooped the small bundle of joy into my arms. Violin looked over towards Deidara and grumbled and barked. Another pang shot through my heart. Deidara noticed my smile fall and cursed. He sprung from the bed and pulled me into a hug. I sighed and leaned against him for a moment, relishing in the feel of another body. Somebody cared enough to take me in and hate the man who had put me in this predicament.

Deidara smiled at me, rubbed my belly. Everybody had been touching me lately. I didn't know what to make of it quite yet. I smiled when he pressed his lips to my stomach and whispered to my baby. Deidara grinned up at me, swung me into his arms, and ran down the hallway yelling at the top of his lungs.

"I hold in my hands the most beautiful pregnant lady of the land!" Deidara yelled as he dashed down the hallway and into the kitchen.

"Hey!" Katana snapped as she stuffed her face with a pickle that was dipped in peanut butter.

"Sorry Katana," Deidara said with a sheepish grin as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. He laughed and screamed at the top of his lungs once again as he ran from the base. "I now hold in my arms the two most beautiful pregnant women of the land!"

"Deidara!" I yelled through a fit of giggles. "Put me down!"

He looked over his shoulder at me, mischief gleaming in his eyes. I raised an eyebrow and looked around us. Trees, a bank, a stream... I snapped to attention. A stream? I opened my mouth to ask a question, but Deidara grinned at me. I shook my head and started to fight him off, but he just shrugged around my attempts and began to drop me into the waters. I clamped onto his shirt and the three of us ended up tumbling into the frigid waters.

I surfaced with a giant gulp of fresh air and coughing out the water that had settled in my lungs. Katana yowled as she jumped above the water, teeth chattering together and glaring at the spot where Deidara had surfaced. He grinned at us, the cheerful grin disappearing as he realized I was hacking up my lungs.

A heavy hand landed on my back, helping me push the water out of my lungs. I sighed in relief as the last of the water escaped through my esophagus. Deidara sighed in relief too, but soon realized that revenge was a bitch. I grinned at him and pushed his head underwater before swimming away. Deidara rose with a curse as he spat out water and swam towards us.

I hid behind Katana.

"HEY!" Katana yelled as she tried to swim around behind me. "I didn't do anything to him! Don't hide behind m-"

Deidara dunked the both of us. We rose sputtering and glaring at Deidara, who was too busy laughing to see us coming towards him. Katana took a deep breath and went beneath the water so that she could grab his legs as I jumped on his neck and pushed. He went down and the two of us scampered from the water giggling the whole way into the forest.

"Shh!" I said as I clamped a hand around Katana's mouth. "He can't hear us! Or he'll throw is in again!"

Katana nodded and I released her mouth. She grinned at me as we slowly crept around trees. We could hear Deidara calling our names, so we ran through the trees, giggling and cursing as we ran into things. Deidara was laughing behind us, following the sound of our voices. The two of us were still laughing as we crashed through a bush and into a clearing, smacking into two bodies.

"Jeez! I'm so sor-" I cut off as I realized who I had run into. I glared at him, putting a protective hand over my growing stomach. "You."

"Katara."

"Hey! Katara!" Kisame yelled as he threw his arms around me. "I haven't seen you in age- Why are you wet?"

I laughed and hugged him back. "Deidara just threw the two of us into the stream a ways back."

Kisame burst out laughing and shook his head. "Did you at least get him back?"

"Oh, you expected me to let him get away with that? I think not."

Kisame grinned and placed a kiss on my cheek. Since I had been kicked out of Itachi's room, I had made sure not to have any contact with anything that had to deal with him. I sadly shook my head at my stupidity. Kisame had become one of my close friends over the past few days and I had dropped him because of a stupid man. I grinned and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry," I whispered in his ear.

"Don't be," Kisame said as he crashed me to him. "It wasn't your fault. Isn't your fault. It's his."

I smiled at him as we drew back. He sighed as Itachi shoved past the three of us and walked on. Kisame looked at me, eyes screaming in apology before he hurried after him. I grinned at Katana. I had managed to survive the first meeting with Itachi after he had rejected me and his baby. I threw my arms around Katana before watching Kisame and Itachi disappear.

"Hey Fishface!" I screamed, grinning when Kisame whipped around and waved excitedly. "I'll meet up with you again! I promise!"

Kisame gave a thumbs up and hurried after Itachi, who had disappeared around a bunch of trees.

"Well that could have gone better," I said as Deidara popped out of the trees beside us. I gave him a huge smile. "Well you're late."

"Sorry," Deidara said as he pulled Violin, who whimpering and shuddering against Deidara's chest. 'I had a little distraction."

I bit my lip and caught the little puppy in my arms. He yipped and shook as I pressed him against my now-dry skin. He was soaked to the bone. I glared at Deidara, who threw his hands up in the air almost immediately. Violin licked my cheek, trying to get my attention. I kissed the top of his head and held him close.

"What happened?" I asked as I cradled my little ball of fluff in my arms.

"He followed us. Seems like somebody left the door of the base open," Deidara grumbled as he watched me. "I heard a splash, a yip, and then I had to run back to rescue him."

I smiled at him, thankful for such a great friend. A friend who would gladly rescue my dog just to keep me happy and going. A friend who would take me in when the man that I loved had kicked me out of his life because I was bringing his child into the world. I sighed, pressing a hand against my ever-growing tummy. Deidara and Katana were friends. Ones who wouldn't leave when the going got tough.

I felt a pang through my heart. Those words... They had reminded me of Kakashi and how well things had gone when he had taken me in. He had stuck by me through the thick and the thin. I sighed and stroked Violin, smiling when the small puppy burrowed into my neck with a deep sigh.

I had made up my mind. Kakashi would see me again. And it would be before anybody knew I had been with the Akatsuki. He would help me with this precious life that was growing inside me. Just as he had helped me. With a grin, I looked over at Katana, who was arguing with Deidara over something petty. Wouldn't she get a kick out of that?

Of course, I'd have to take her with me.

Deidara was talking, waving his hands, cursing the very ground that Katana stood on. Katana in return was yelling in his face, her face reddened to that hue that goes beyond tomato. My eyes teared up as I realized that he could not go with me. He was too well-known as a criminal with the Akatsuki to escape with us. I wiped at the corner of my eye, keeping my tears a secret. Violin licked my cheek and whined, wanting my attention.

"Uh guys?" I asked timidly. "Shouldn't we be getting back to the base?"

"Sure. Let's go!" Deidara said. "Better not make Leader too mad. He's not too pretty when he's breathing fire on everybody."

I smiled and shook my head as he began to walk toward the base. Violin was grumbling and growling as I looked down at him. For once in my life, I didn't get a pang when he did that. Harp was holding a place in my heart, yes, but I wouldn't let her death rule my life. Katana was laughing as she watched Violin, and I smiled.

"My other dog did this," I said softly as I looked over to her.

Her eyes filled with sorrow. "The one who...?"

I smiled sadly. "Yeah. Harp. She was the one I had before I went into the Akatsuki. She had a kunai thrown at her while we were walking down this path. She did in my arms. Me and Akira, my handy-dandy demon, both tried to save her but..." I sighed. "She was too far gone. kunai thrown into her chest. She didn't stand a chance."

"I'm so sorry, Katara," Katana muttered as we both started walking behind a very happy Deidara.

"Don't wor-"

A mini explosion cut me off. Katana screamed and hid behind me as I watched a clay pigeon blow up in the sky. I looked at Deidara, who was acting too innocent. He then grinned ear to eat and pointed towards my feet. I mentally groaned and looked down, seeing a beautiful silver ring float to the ground. Nearly tearing up, I gently plucked the shiny object from the dull earth, slipping it onto my index finger on my right hand. It glinted as I waved my hand in the sunlight.

I was scooped into Deidara's arms as he began to walk towards the base. Katana was mumbling something about something which wasn't very important, since I had no idea what hers and Deidara's fight had been about. Violin snuggled into my stomach with a content little sigh, making me smile down at the little pup. Deidara laughed and shook his head.

The ride back to the base was uneventful. Violin curled in my lap, yawning as he snuggled into me some more. Deidara was chattering away, I half listening to his shenanigans. When we returned to the base, I carefully removed myself from Deidara's arms, cradling the brown mutt carefully between my arms. Not a word was uttered as we slinked back into the base, creeping towards our room.

Neither of us noticed the set of eyes that followed us into the base.

Nor the pure hatred that was burned towards our retreating backs.


	10. Chapter 10

**Part Ten: Secrets**

I smiled as I walked outside of the base, smelling at the flowers. The weather was clear, the birds singing their songs, keeping me company. Violin was a few feet away, his small being crashing through bushes, scaring flocks of larks from their hiding places. My stomach had grown a tiny bit, making me smile as I thought of the new life that was sitting inside of me, waiting to come back into this huge world.

Violin ran back onto the path, barking and grumbling his tales of chasing birds to me. I smiled when his bark grew louder, as if he was getting to the climax of his story before it slowly faded down to a low grumble, as if he was bored or angry. He looked up at me, eyes shining, content radiating from his body. I grinned and ran my hand down the silky fur of his head. He grumbled and pressed against my hand, begging for more attention. I laughed, the sound hardy and truthful.

"Violin..." I sighed his name, looking at the vegetation and paths that had become all-too-familiar. "It's time, boy. We need to go."

The dog whined, prancing towards the base. I shook my head in amazement. He was only a few months old, not quite as far along as my pregnancy, which was moving into its fifth month, and yet he could find his own way home. Home. The word made me feel guilty. Where was my home? My true home?

I sighed as I snuck back into the base. The others were off on some mission, Leader having taken my place since I was too far along to risk my pregnancy. I smiled, trailing my fingertips across my stomach as I walked towards Katana's room. Violin grumbled and headed towards our room, which Deidara had kindly given us, choosing to then stay on a couch in Tobi's room. I knocked softly, heard the muffled 'come in' from the other side of the door. The door was slowly pushed open, causing me to laugh as I saw that Katana was laying in the middle of her bed, poking at her stomach.

"Katana," I said as I slowly entered the room, tugging at the loose shirt that I was wearing. "I have something I need to run by you, okay?"

She raised up on her elbows, gave me an arched eyebrow. "Go on?"

"I'm leaving. Tonight. For the better of my baby."

"Huh?"

"And I want you to go with me."

She sat up completely, looked at me as if I had grown another head in her presence. "But... Won't they... Won't they follow us? Find us?"

"Katana, I won't let-"

"Kill us?"

"Katana!"

"What?"

"I'm not going to let them. I've got a friend who will let us stay with him. No questions asked. Please, just go with me. That's all I'm asking. It'll be better for you. Better for your baby."

She bit her lip. "When are you leaving?"

I sighed and looked toward the door. "Tonight."

"Does anybody else know?" she asked, gripping my hands tightly.

"Just you and me."

She looked at me, fear shining in those gorgeous purple eyes. I slightly smiled and touched my fingertips to her chin before floating out of her room. I snuck away into Deidara's room, smiled as I saw Violin stretched over the pillows, a big no-no in Deidara's book. The dog looked at me and sighed, deciding that I wasn't going to threaten his pillow time. I sighed and shook my head, making my way toward the closet to grab my bag.

The baby kicked, making me smile and curse at the same time. I drug the bag out of the closet, throwing one of Deidara's favorite shirts in, just in case I'd need a memory along the way. My heart began to thud in pain as I threw the bag over my shoulder and called to Violin as I walked towards Katana's room. The dog followed obediently at my heels, sitting down as I knocked on Katana's door. She opened it wearing her own bag over her shoulder.

"Let's go."

~Itachi's P.O.V.~

I sighed into my cloak as the others milled around, talking about today's success of the mission. It wasn't a success in my book, although the mission itself went smoothly. Katara was five months pregnant. To the day. I ground my teeth together as my chest grew tight at the thought of her being pregnant. Carrying my child.

How could I have said those cruel things to her? I loved her. She was carrying proof of that. But those things... Her tears... Her smiles. Towards Deidara. My stomach began to churn in disgust as we all began walking again. We would be back to the base in roughly three days. I had been praying that Katara wouldn't go into labor while we were away. Nobody attacked the base.

That we would be able to talk things through when I got back.

I would apologize. Grovel, if need be. I sighed and looked at the ground, trying my best to push Deidara out of my head as I heard him bragging about my child's first kick. Katara's cravings, mood swings. Those things that I should be experiencing. I groaned inwardly and walked faster, calculating that I could be home a day and a half if we ran.

"Senpai," Tobi was saying, talking to Deidara like always. "Do you think that Katara would run away?"

"Tobi, why would she run away?" Deidara asked, growing annoyed with the questions game that Tobi loved to play so much. "She's being taken care of here."

Tobi's voice dropped into a whisper. "Because of Itachi!"

My eyes followed the two, who spoke in hushed tones ahead of me. Deidara had been basically running, Tobi forced to catch up, since we had begun to leave. I sighed as I realized he probably was anxious to return home and visit his roommate. I growled deep in my throat as I thought of my child calling him dad. It wasn't going to happen. My child would be mine. And mine alone.

I sighed and tugged at the collar of the cloak. It was going to be a long three and a half days. Misery settled into my stomach, with disgust a close second. I had caught myself praying, knew that didn't work. I bit the inside of my cheek and blanked my mind.

I laughed at myself.

If only it was that easy.

~Katara's P.O.V.~

"Katana, quit blubbering already," I snapped as we basically ran down the road, protecting our wombs with our arms.

"But my baby is going to grow up without a father!" Katana wailed while in one of her hormone-swings. "What is that going to be like?"

I sighed and looked up at the sky, praying for guidance and the urge not to kill my friend as we walked to my previous village. Violin barked happily as he bounded around my legs, chased butterflies. We were going to get to the village by the end of the night. I would almost bet my life on it. I smiled sadly, softly rubbed my fingertips across my swollen tummy, wondering what it would be like for my child.

My heart let loose a painful ping at those two words.

Not our child.

Not his child.

My child.

"Our babies are the offspring of killers," Katana sniffled. "What the hell does that say about us? We slept with murderers!"

I glared at her as we took a short-cut through a few backyards. "Keep it up, Katana," I said icily, "and I'll become a murderer myself. Got it?"

She sniffled again and nodded. I smiled to myself as we cut over a fence. My breath caught in my throat as I realized where we were. The house still stood tall, the yellow color still the envy of the sunlight, even in the dark. The light in the kitchen was still blazing, the window allowing me to see Juro and his wife sitting at the table, enjoying a cup of tea. I saw Anko's head tilt back as she let out what I was guessing a heartful laugh. I looked over to Katana and smiled, motioning her to follow me.

The knock was quiet, as I didn't want to wake the child who slept within the yellow walls. I heard a soft sign before thudding footfalls came to stop at the door. Juro opened it, his eyes misting over as he saw me standing before him, swollen and grinning. He enveloped me in a hug, passed me to his wife, and pulled Katana into the house with a hardy hello.

Anko smiled, tears in her eyes. "Katara! It's been so long... Look at you! You're glowing... And you're... Pregnant?"

I smiled at her, patted her cheek. "Been that way for five months now."

She grinned, showing her smile lines that crinkled at the corner of her eyes. "It agrees with you."

Juro laughed at his wife, love showing in his eyes. I flinched, noticing the love disappearing from his eyes that was replaced by sadness. I sighed inwardly and gave him a sad smile. He nodded slightly before listening to his wife ramble on about the joys of pregnancy. He quickly retrieved a few glasses, filled them with juice, handed them out to all of us. I took mine with a thank you and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"So where are you two going to go now?" Anko asked, stirring something into her apple juice.

"I ah... I'm going to stay with the father," I said softly, thinking on my feet. "I realized how stupid I had been to walk away all those months ago. I need to see if he still ah, loves me as much as he used to."

Anko winked at me. "If he's a smart man, he'll hold onto such a great woman."

I smiled at her, squeezed her hand. "I really only stopped in to say hi. We won't have that long to walk now. I needed to see how you guys are... Uh, where's Eiko?"

"She's at a friend's house for a sleepover," Anko said on a sigh. "She would have loved to see you again."

I nodded sadly. "Then I'll just have to come back. Maybe with a little bundle of joy the next time around. I really am sorry, Anko, Juro, but we really need to get moving again. I'll come back and visit again. I promise."

They nodded, hugged us both. Gave us sorrowful goodbyes and watched us walk away. I smiled and rubbed a hand absently across my stomach, knowing that someday, my child would have a family to support her or him, drive them insane. A proper one, not like the one that I had been forced to grow up with. My child would grow up loved.

"Katara," Katana whispered as we walked down the road.

"Yes, my conscience?" I asked sarcasticly, trying to get the other woman to laugh.

"My baby... I think I want it to be raised by that family back there."

I whistled, the sound low and surprised. "I suppose you could do that."

"My thoughts exactly."

Violin ran between us, barking happily as he chased a squirrel a few feet ahead. He stopped, body vibrating, eyes alert. His bark, still in that adorable little puppy stage, sounded in almost a greeting. A shadow appeared before him, the body, obviously male, bent down to scratch the dog's ears. Something pulled low in my stomach, alarm bells going off in my head. Here were two heavily pregnant women, their only means of protection at the moment being a small, brown, yippy brown mutt.

"Well aren't you just the cutest thing," the figure said, scratching Violin's ears.

My heartbeat began to accelerate. My mouth and throat grew dry. It had been long. Too long. Five months too long. I smiled, tracing a fingertip along my bulging stomach, relieved to see a familiar form, to hear a familiar voice.

"Katara. It's about time."


	11. Chapter 11

**Part 11: Escape**

I smiled, the action just natural. Katana gave me a weird look as I began to waddle towards the stranger. Violin barked happily at his feet, jumping up to attempt to get the man's attention. I hugged him, squeezing as tight as possible with the baby bump going on. I inhaled his familiar scent, the scent of home, with a deep, long inhale.

"Kakashi," I said as I pulled away. "I missed you. So much."

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask and scratched the back of his head. "You leave me for a few months and come home pregnant. What am I going to do with you? Ground you?"

I arched an eyebrow, daring him to continue. He grinned mischievously and ended up taking me into his arms, swinging me about like a madman. I gripped his shoulders and buried my face into his neck to fight off the stream of giggled and squeaks that fought their way to tear out of my throat.

I was home.

"Kakashi," I said as I pulled my face from his neck. He continued to swing and smile. "KAKASHI!" He stopped. "This is my friend Katana."

Kakashi put me down, steadying me before going to inspect Katana. He made slight humming noises as he walked around, a finger tapping against his gloved chin in mock thought. I giggled and looked down at Violin, who had laid on the ground and played dead in hopes of getting attention. He looked at me and gave a slight 'woof,' at the action. Kakashi nodded and walked over to me again, his eyes smiling with pure joy.

"She has been accepted," he told me. "Now you two follow me. I'll take you home and we can brew a nice pot of tea and I can feed you."

He walked off, staying within calling distance. Katana shook her head in confusion and followed. Violin pushed himself off of the ground and trotted after Kakashi's heels. I shook my head and began to follow, listening to the few birds that were outside call to each other. My heart was fluttering, my pulse skyrocketing.

I really was home...

~Kakashi's P.O.V.~

My head was still spinning. I absently through a stick for the new dog while thinking about Katara. Pregnancy did agree with her, even though it was someone else's child. Someone else had touched my Katara. I ground my teeth together and threw the stick again. She wasn't mine. She wasn't a piece of property.

But damn it, she was going to be mine.

Someday.

I could hear her talking to her friend again. Her voice flowed over the air, across my system like a river. I grinned as I realized they were coming home with me. Both of them. All four of them were going to be in my house. I shook my head and looked down at Violin, who had retrieved the stick once again and had dropped it in front of my feet.

"You're not going to hog the bed like the other one, right?" I asked, picking up the stick. The dog growled and sent me a glare. With a laugh, I tossed the stick again. "Looks like I got my answer."

Katara said something to one of her friends. I shook my head and looked straight in front of me. I could feel her around me. The presence that had been missing at the house all these months. I prayed that we could pick up where we left off. That all would be well. I felt her hand slide around mine, her fingers intertwining with mine. Her head was laid on my shoulder, a content sigh slipping through her lips.

"Kakashi," she all but purred. "Its good to be home again."

I grinned down at her through my mask. "My thoughts exactly, Katara. I can't wait until we get back to the house. Nothing's changed."

Her eyes dimmed a bit in sadness. "A few things have, Kakashi. There's no Harp. There's a new life we're bringing into the big picture. I'm unmarried and with child. There's going to be whispers. Most of them about you and me."

I kissed her softly, the impact feeling like a punch to the stomach. "I won't let them get to you. If you're concerned, we'll get married. I'll give this child my name. I'll be its father. Katara, it will be okay. I promise."

She grinned and kissed my shoulder. "Kakashi, I don't know what I would do without you."

~Itachi's P.O.V.~

I pushed ahead of the others and into the base. Knowing that she would be in Deidara's room, I stormed toward it. My heart was fluttering in my chest as I neared the door. I could smell the rose scented soap we had given her, the slight dog smell from Violin. A smile appeared on my lips as I got to the door. _Deep breath, Itachi,_ I told myself as I turned the door handle. _You have to play this cool. Beg if you have to. So keep it c..._

She wasn't in the room. The bed was made, completely empty. With a feeling of dread, I ran to the adjoining bathroom. She wasn't there. Her toiletries were scattered across the bathroom counter, toothbrush next to the sink. Next to Deidara's. Rage filled my throat as I stormed over, noticed there were clothes missing. There was no Violin.

Dread washed over me in a sweep. My body began to shake. My head was spinning. I cursed and headed toward Katana's room in a last-ditch effort to find her. I threw the door open, noticed that Katana's room had met the same fate as Deidara's. I banged my head against the door, cursing all that was happy in the world.

"Hey, man," Deidara said as he laid a hand on my shoulder. "What's goin' on? You okay?"

I turned slowly, feeling the emotions flicker across my face. "She's gone."

"Who? Katana? Man, she's probably running around outside barefoot complaining about deer," Deidara joked with a large smile that slowly faded. "Itachi? It is Katana you're talking about, right?"

I looked at him, no emotion flickering over my face.

"It wasn't..."

"Tobi cannot find Katara and the puppy! Tobi misses the puppy!"

"No," we both whispered, catching each other before we fell to the ground.

"That's..." Deidara stammered, watching the orange-masked member skip down the hallway.

"Impossible," I whispered, feeling my heart break into a million tiny pieces.

~Katara's P.O.V.~

I sighed as my eyes slowly trailed over the spot where we had lay Harp down to rest. I could still feel her walking next to me, hear her soft growls and grumbles as she told me about her days of digging in Kakashi's yard. A smile played at my lips as I found a rose, perfect in its dark red coloring, and laid it neatly across her grave. I sniffled back tears as I felt Kakashi's hand lay comfortably on my shoulder.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked softly.

I patted the earth before I slowly stood up, tears slowly cascading down my cheeks. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm ready to go. Let's go home."

He smiled and held my hand. We walked slowly back to his house, watching the stars sparkle from above us. Katana stayed back further, watching the scenery as if she was a blind man who had just been given the gift of sight back. I smiled. We were free from that organization. We were free to live wherever we chose to, be who we wanted to be. Raise our children without having to worry about somebody coming in and killing or stealing them.

I sighed and gave one last prayer for Harp. I smiled at Violin bouncing around the ground, yipping his pleasure to everyone that would listen. His little brown head threw back and howled, making me jump. I didn't want any attention drawing to us. I really didn't. Kakashi sighed and swung me up into his arms before he turned back to Katana. Violin sat down and waited on us.

"I'm going to start running," Kakashi said plainly, as if he didn't like or trust Katana. "Can you keep up?"

Anger flew into her eyes, making her eyes darker. "Yeah, I can keep up. Can you?"

I rolled my eyes and let them argue, watching the road behind us. A lone deer crept across the road, watching the shouting match intently before bounding off. I smirked to myself. Not even the most peaceful of animals sat by to wait for this argument to stop. Kakashi shouted something before taking off, stopping only to pick up Violin and toss the dog on my lap carefully. Violin whined and licked my face before settling down safely into my body.


	12. Chapter 12

**art 12: Gifts**

~Katara's P.O.V.~

I smiled at the little girl in my arms. Her hair was dark, her skin pale, her eyes a deep, emerald green. Kakashi was playing with her fingers, kissing her forehead. I rolled my eyes at him and pushed him back, wanting some time with my daughter. I sighed inwardly as I realized she didn't look much like her father. A frown tugged at my lips. Was that a good thing or bad thing?

Kakashi settled next to me on the bed. "It's both. Bad because she won't know that Itachi is her father, good because we won't have to make up lies. We can say she is mine."

I arched my eyebrow at him. "Can you read my mind or something?"

He grinned at me. "No. You spoke out loud, dummy."

I glared at him and bit his finger. He yowled in pain, causing the woman who had assisted me through my daughter's birth to laugh. Kakashi glared at her and nursed his finger. My daughter whimpered as he drew his other hand away, loosing her first toy. Kakashi quickly realized his mistake and gave our daughter his hand back.

_Our daughter,_ I thought to myself as tears formed in my eyes.

_'Our child indeed,'_ a voice sounded inside of my head.

My body went rigid. I bit the inside of my lip to fight the scream that wanted to tear out of my throat. My demon was looking down at my daughter as if she were food. I locked her away in the depths of my mind. She would not ruin this moment. She would not ruin the day that my child was born. She wouldn't.

I could hear her evil laughter from the depths of my soul. I winced as the sound felt like it was tearing up my insides. I kissed my daughter's forehead, using the smell of her to fight back the evil lurking within my body. Kakashi's hand, the one I had bitten, gripped mine firmly, as if he too knew what was going on inside of my body.

Akira sighed, the sound itself admitting her defeat. I relaxed as I felt her vacate my mind for the time being. My daughter let out a coo, her emerald green eyes sparkling. Kakashi kissed my cheek softly. Then I heard the crash, the raised voices. Katana. I looked up at Kakashi, my eyes pleading to let her in.

"You know I can't," Kakashi whispered. "She's too dangerous. You know that she's been trying to find the Akatsuki again."

I sighed, looking down at my little girl. "But she's been through so much. Having her son taken away like that. In the middle of the night. Kakashi, she's hurt. She thinks that they have him."

Kakashi shook his head. "We can't. She'll just drag you with her, Katara. It's too big a risk."

"What are you going to name the little bundle of sunshine?" the nurse pipped up, bringing about a subject change.

"Mieko," Kakashi said.

"Hitomi," I said.

We looked at each other and started laughing. After all these months of bickering about baby names, we still couldn't agree. He looked down at our daughter, taking in all of her features. Her emerald green eyes settled on his face. He grinned, his face lighting up with pleasure. I smiled and kissed his cheek. He wasn't naming my daughter Mieko.

"What do you think she looks like, Tsunade?" I asked the woman as she walked in.

Her head flew up, giving me a brief smile before looking over my chart. I sighed and counted my daughter's fingers and toes once again. I could still hear Katana's voice carrying in the hallway. Arguing with some poor security guy. I gave another pleading look at Kakashi, who shook his head and kissed my brow.

"I think she looks like an Hitomi," the woman said as she looked down at my daughter. "And a very cute one at that. Can I keep her?"

"NO!" I growled, glaring at the woman.

She laughed. "Got somebody lined up to be the godmother yet?"

I shrugged, not wanting to say I had been considering one of Kakashi's students as godfather. Naruto would be very proud to be the one to look after such a gem as my daughter. As for the godmother... I looked up at Tsunade, eying her suspiciously. She grinned at me, that mischievous twinkle playing in her eyes. I looked up into Kakashi's horrified stare.

"I think she'd be a great godmother," I said, looking to what she had a picture of. A tree. A framed picture of a tree. "Tsunade."

"What?"

"Why do you have a picture of a tree?"

"OH!" she said loudly, waving the picture above her head. "I bought you a present. His name is Steve."

My mouth dropped open. "OMMIGOD!"

She laughed at me and gave me the picture. Kakashi rolled his eyes toward the heavens, begging for what I was guessing a normal family. Tsunade gave me a hug, which was more like suffocating me with happiness. She drew back and took my baby from my arms, taking her away to check her vitals and what not once again.

"Tsunade," I whispered as I remembered what had happened only moments before. "She's not going to get a demon, right?"

Tsunade tensed, sighed. Bad sign. "Your family's type of demon is passed down through genetics. So there is a high possibility that she has her own. We'll figure it out as she matures."

I leaned my head back, eyes closed. "That wasn't the answer I was looking for, Tsuande."

She sighed. "I know. But that's how it's going to be."

I glared at her.

"When do we get to go home?" Kakashi pipped up, trying to change the subject.

Tsunade arched an eyebrow at him. "Well, you've sure gotten antsy. Got any big plans for your wife?"

He sighed, relaxing onto the bed once again. "Yeah, but I'm not sharing. But honestly, Tsunade, when can they go home?"

"A few days to a week, max," Tsunade said, cooing over the baby in her arms. "I want to keep you here for awhile, Katara, to make sure that your demon doesn't come out and eat everybody in your weakened state."

I growled to myself, crossing my arms. Kakashi settled me against his body, his hand absently stroking my arm as he chatted away with Tsunade. I heard a crash, and a yip. My face lit up with a grin as I watched Violin, in all of his glory, run through the door and hide behind the bed. A doctor came running in, slightly out of breath, looking quite annoyed.

"You!" he bellowed, pointing a finger at me. "That _thing_ you call a dog isn't allowed in the hospital!"

I looked up at him, innocence spilling out of my pores. "What ever are you talking about, doctor?"

Tsunade looked at the man, her stare going icy. "Her _dog_ is allowed in here because I said so. Do you understand, doctor?"

He hung his head like a child who had just gotten yelled at. "Yes'm."  
~Deidara's P.O.V.~

I sighed, watching Itachi brood over his tea once again. Today was better, since he had yet to bite off anybody's head. Tobi tiptoed into the room, trying to make as little noise as possible. I looked at him in pity. He had become the usual whipping boy for Itachi when he went off into his moods. Today, the Uchiha seemed distant, distracted. He jabbed a spoon through his tea.

"What's wrong with you today?" I asked, my eyes not leaving the clay that I was molding in my hands.

"..."

"Ah, a man of many words," I said as I molded the clay into a little doll, smiling at the childishness of it. "I'm guessing it's the big K-word again?"

"..."

With a glare.

I sighed. "She's not coming back, Itachi. It's time to move on."

Itachi turned his head towards me. His eyes held so much sorrow for a split second before the feeling was hidden, steeled away in the depths of his soul. I nearly felt pity for the man, before remembering that he had begun to enjoy torturing his victims, killing them ever so slowly. He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

"With Ruki here, it's getting harder," he muttered before taking a sip of his tea. "That kid is fun, yeah, I'm not gonna lie, but it's not the same. He's not mine."

I sighed, rose from the table. He watched my every move wearily. His eyes were rimmed with dark bags, his skin paler than ever before. He gave me a slight smile before he moved away. I sighed as he walked out of the room, his shoulders hunched in his sadness. When he went through the doorway, I finally let myself rub over my heart from where the pain had radiated outward from the mention of Katara's name.

"I hope you're all okay," I muttered to myself as I set the doll on one of the highest cabinets.

Ruki could be heard cooing from the hallway. I heart Itachi's laugh and the child's squeal. He had most likely played airplane again. Hidan could be heard as well, cursing the taller, black-haired man. I sighed and opened the door, stealing my insides for the rush to come.

Ruki squealed in delight, his pudgy little arms reaching out towards me. I grinned and grasped him by the middle, stealing him away from Itachi, who looked at me with a relieved look. The Uchiha lowered his gaze to the floor ans lipped through the doorway and into the hallways of the base. I sighed and tickled the little boy I held in my arms.

"So you've been driving your daddy nuts, huh?" I cooed to Ruki as I held him out in front of me.

"HEY! SUPPORT THE HEAD! SUPPORT THE FUCKING HEAD!" Hidan yelled as he snatched his son away from me.

"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled as I went outside.

After all, you had to start a search somewhere.


	13. Chapter 13

**Part 13: **_**Five Years Later**_

~Katara's P.O.V~

I smiled as I watched Mieko run around the yard with Violin and his pup, Orchestra. The dogs happily yipped and chased after the red rubber ball that Mieko's expertly aimed arm threw for them. Kakashi came out of the house, a mug of tea in his hands. He grinned down at me, rubbed my stomach lightly. The children in my womb kicked against his hand, causing him to grin.

"Tonight, huh?" he murmured against my temple as he cuddled me to his chest. "I can finally hold the little ones tonight?"

I laughed and nodded my head. "Tsunade'll be here in a few minutes to induce labor. So it'll probably be in a matter of hours, love."

Mieko ran up, slightly out of breath and threw her arms around me. "Mommy, I love you."

I gathered her as close as my protruding stomach would allow. "I love you, too, baby. Now where did that come from? Did you break something?"

She giggled. "No, mommy."

"Lose the dogs' ball?"

"No!" more giggling.

"Well, then what is it?"

Her eyes grew sad and her face grave. "A bad man will come for you, mommy. And me and daddy and the babies will have to leave." Her bottom lip began to quiver.

I looked at Kakashi, alarm in my eyes. He gripped my hand tighter in his and pulled me into the house. Mieko came along with us, the thoughts of what lie ahead pushed from her mind with the promise of one of her favorite cookies. Kakashi whistled, and the dogs came bounding into the room, grinning and wagging their tails.

"Mieko, will you please get the doggies a cookie a piece?" I asked as I washed an apple, grimacing when I felt the first warning pangs of labor contract in my womb.

Mieko nodded her head, ebony ponytails bouncing as she trotted over to the kitchen cabinet. The dogs sat obediently at her feet, eyes growing wide at the sight of their doggy treats. She gave each one a treat before returning to the table and stuffing a chocolate chip cookie into her mouth with an excited squeal. I looked up from my apple washing and saw Tsunade standing in the doorway, smiling down at her godchild.

"Well haven't you grown since the last time I saw you, Tiny?" Tsunade asked, eyes dancing with mischief.

"Aunty Tsunade!" Mieko groaned in annoyance and embarrassment. "You know I growed since last time!"

Tsunade bent in front of Mieko and twirled the young girl around on her finger. "Well, I guess you could have grown…" Then she looked at me. "So how are we feeling, Mommy?"

I stuck my tongue out at her. "Like I'm going through contractions. What else is new?"

She chuckled to herself as I sat down and bit into an apple. It had been nothing but junk foods with Mieko, especially chocolate with coconut. With these two, it had been nothing but apples and grapes with the occasional banana thrown in. I couldn't help but wonder if it had to do with Mieko's father being evil and the twins' being… Not evil.

Kakashi smiled and brushed a kiss on my forehead. I grinned to myself and bit into the apple once again with a satisfying crunch. Mieko munched happily on her cookies and rambled on and on about her day to Tsunade. The older woman nodded and made the appropriate mm-hmm's and ah-hah's and glanced up at me from above my daughter's head.

"Ready, Mommy?" Tsunade asked as she kissed Mieko's cheek. "It's now or never."

I snorted. "Oh, please. I was ready months ago. These two are nothing but restless and I swear they're playing soccer with something in there." I grimaced. "My womb is going to be forever bruised."

Tsunade chuckled and walked toward the hallway, expecting me to follow. Kakashi nodded and crouched down next to Mieko, tugging on her ebony pigtails. I smiled sadly as I turned and walked down the hallway after Tsunade. Tonight I was going to die. I could feel it. I pressed a hand to my contracting womb and almost growled. Pregnant women are so primal.

"Katara?" Tsunade asked from the doorway. "Are you okay?"

I purposefully brightened my smile. "Of course I'm okay! Let's get this over with! These babies _need_ to come out. _Now_."

Tsunade chuckled and stepped aside, allowing me to enter my bedroom. She had already set everything up. I sighed with contentment and rubbed a hand across my belly. I teared up. I couldn't wait to hold my babies. I turned to look at Tsunade and tears fell from my eyes.

"Oh, Tsunade," I sniffled, "what am I going to do?"

She cocked her head to the side and grasped my hand. "What are you talking about, Kat? You're going to have your babies and then introduce your daughter to them and then you're going to sleep for a _long_ time while Kakashi watches the kids."

I shook my head, scattering tears everywhere. "No, you don't get it! I'm going to die tonight!"

Tsunade looked appalled. "What are you talking about? I'm not going to let you die!"

I threw my arms around the blonde's neck, squeezing her tight. I hiccupped and pulled away, nodding. She smiled at me and had me lay back on the bed. I grimaced, thinking of the pain that I had experienced last time. This time the pain would be doubled, but the pleasure afterwards would be even greater. I'd get to hold my twins. I rubbed a hand absently on my stomach.

"Let's get this show on the road!" Tsunade said as she reached into her magic bag. "Got places to go, people to see. Babies to birth." She looked up at me and grinned. "Nothing new going on here."

I laughed and settled back against the pillows. Time to let nature run its course.


End file.
